"Did Not Know About Gambling Addiction and Debt" Otani's Press Conference Stirs Japan... Mizuhara Criticizes

Ohtani Fully Denies Allegations at Press Conference
Reports Flood Involving Mizuhara's Academic Fraud and Gambling Links in Japan

Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers), a Japanese baseball star active in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States, held an emergency press conference on the 26th (Korean time) to fully deny allegations that his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was involved in a gambling scandal. Above all, Ohtani claimed that Mizuhara deceived him and even tampered with Ohtani's account, prompting Japanese media to intensify their attacks on Mizuhara.

On the 26th (Korean time), major media outlets including Asahi Shimbun reported the contents of Ohtani's official press conference, which started at 6:45 a.m., as breaking news. Ohtani began by saying, "I am saddened and shocked by the wrongdoing of someone I trusted."

[Image source=UPI Yonhap News]

He then stated, "I have never bet on sports events, asked anyone to do so, or requested any transfers. I did not even know until a few days ago that he was doing such things. To conclude, he stole money from my account and lied to everyone." Ohtani explained, "I directly revealed that Mizuhara accessed my account without permission and transferred money to bookmakers," fully denying the involvement allegations.

Japanese media noted that at the beginning of the conference, Ohtani clearly distanced himself from Mizuhara by referring to him in the third person as "he (kare·彼)," but midway through, he switched to addressing Mizuhara with an honorific as "Ippei-san," showing a seemingly confused attitude. Japanese broadcaster FNN commented, "It was impressive that the way Mizuhara was addressed fluctuated during the conference."

Regarding claims that Ohtani directly transferred money to gambling operators to repay Mizuhara's $4.5 million gambling debt, Ohtani said, "All of that is false," emphasizing, "Last weekend, when my legal representative received media inquiries asking if I was involved in gambling, Ippei-san did not inform me that such requests had been made."

He also claimed that he became aware of the issue only after the Korean season opener. Ohtani explained, "At that time, I did not have an interpreter, and since Mizuhara was speaking in English, I did not fully understand and felt an inexplicable discomfort." He added, "Mizuhara said he wanted to talk privately at the hotel, and that was when I first learned about the large debt." He raised his voice, saying, "I did not know Mizuhara was a gambling addict or that he had debts. I did not agree to it nor permit any transfers."

The press conference lasted about 11 minutes. At the end, Ohtani said, "Honestly, rather than shock, I have spent the week with feelings that are beyond words. I think it is difficult to fully express my emotions right now."

Mizuhara Ippei interpreting next to Shohei Ohtani.
[Photo by UPI Yonhap News]

Since several speculative articles about Ohtani had appeared in Japan before the official conference, Japanese media uniformly criticized Mizuhara. Sankei Shimbun pointed out, "Some information about Mizuhara's alma mater and interpreting career is inaccurate, deepening doubts."

Another online outlet cited interviews with casino experts, stating, "Mizuhara enjoyed poker in San Diego, California, in 2021. Poker is like a gateway to illegal gambling. Because of long waiting times and frequent conversations with others, many groups likely approached Mizuhara." Weekly Bunshun extensively reported on allegations of Mizuhara falsifying his academic background. Weekly Bunshun said, "Mizuhara's profile states he graduated from the University of California, Riverside, but after direct verification, we received an official statement that no such person attended the university," adding, "We look forward to the forthcoming truth investigation."

Mizuhara had been connected with Ohtani since Ohtani's time with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japanese professional baseball and served as his dedicated interpreter after Ohtani entered the major leagues in 2018. However, after it was revealed that he engaged in illegal gambling and embezzled Ohtani's funds in the process, the Dodgers dismissed him on the 21st.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.