TOKYO, FUKUOKA, Japan (Reuters) — A probe into an assault by a sumo grand champion is threatening to stain the image of Japan’s ancient national sport just as its popularity was recovering from previous scandals and a shrinking fan base.
Mongolian “Yokozuna” (grand champion) Harumafuji apologized last week after reports emerged that he had pounded junior wrestler Takanoiwa with his bare fists and a Karaoke remote control while drinking at a restaurant-bar. Police are investigating the case after Takanoiwa’s coach and stable master filed a complaint.
Japan Sumo Association (JSA) Chairman Nobuyoshi Hakkaku said he was very sorry “about all the disturbance we recently caused” as he submitted an interim report to Japan’s sports agency commissioner Daichi Suzuki on Tuesday (November 28). The Yokozuna Deliberation Council had also asked JSA to hand out an “extremely harsh punishment” to Harumafuji, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The sport has struggled with violence before. A former Sumo master was sentenced to five years in prison in 2010 after a court found he had ordered wrestlers to beat 17-year-old trainee Takashi Saito, who had tried to run away from the gym. Saito died from his injuries.