Japanese public broadcaster NHK has decided to cancel live television broadcasts of July's grand sumo tournament in the latest fallout from a damaging gambling scandal.
Today's decision comes after champion wrestler Kotomitsuki was booted out of Japan's ancient sport after an investigation into an illegal baseball betting racket with alleged ties to local crime syndicates.
"Airing public broadcasts carry a heavily responsibility," NHK president Shigeo Fukuchi told reporters after opting to cut live transmissions for the first time. "As Japan's national sport, we want it to be clean and loved by the public."
NHK started live broadcasts of sumo on radio in 1928 and on television from 1953. Japan's public broadcaster has received well over 1,000 complaints over the gambling furore, with some demanding July's Nagoya tournament not be televised.
Sponsors have also withdrawn from the event, one of six annual major tournaments which generate an estimated 8.5 billion yen (€76 million) in revenues.
Kotomitsuki (34) became the first "ozeki" - sumo's second-highest rank after "yokozuna" - to suffer the humiliation of being fired. His sacking following the arrest of a former wrestler on suspicion of extorting 3.5 million yen from Kotomitsuki, who alleged it was "hush money".
Earlier today, the government pressed sumo's under-fire authorities to sever all links to organised crime groups.
"I'm asking them to hold discussions intended to eradicate the roots of the connections," Education and Sports Minister Tatsuo Kawabata was quoted as saying by Japan's Kyodo news.
More than 60 wrestlers have confessed to gambling in the latest scandal to rock the sport, whose origins date back to the mythological founding of Japan.
Last year, a former gym boss was sentenced to six years in prison following the death of a 17-year-old trainee wrestler in a "hazing" case which shocked the country. A number of wrestlers, both foreign and Japanese, have had their contracts terminated after being caught in possession of marijuana.
The sport's biggest name, Mongolian Asashoryu, quit this year after accusations that he had broken a man's nose while in a drunken rage outside a Tokyo nightclub.
Reuters