Tokyo - Four players on Japan's men's Asian Games basketball
team were stripped of their membership for buying sex in Jakarta, the
Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) said Monday.
The four athletes were sent home in the morning after the JOC learned
that the four "paid for the services of prostitutes," Yasuhiro
Yamashita, who leads the Japanese delegation in the Asian Games, was
quoted by the Kyodo news agency as telling a news conference in the
Indonesian host city.
"I deeply apologize from the bottom of my heart. Their action
violated the code of conduct of the national team and betrayed the
expectations of the public," Yamashita said.
Yamashita identified the four as Yuya Nagayoshi, Takuya Hashimoto,
Keita Imamura and Takuma Sato.
The four players wearing their team uniforms went out for dinner on
Thursday following a 82-71 victory over Qatar. Afterwards, they took
women to a hotel and conducted "inappropriate acts" with them, Kyodo
said.
The eight remaining players will continue at the Asian Games, with
Hong Kong the next opponents on Wednesday, the JOC said.