Punishment of arrested sumo wrestler too lenient: sports minister

Wednesday 04th February, 06:43 AM JST

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timorborder at 11:39 AM JST - 4th February

Wakanoho got "severence pay" to shut him up, pure and simple. If it had gone to court, the JSA would have been in a real bind namely because one member of the executive council (I won't say who), has match-fixing allegations against him stretching back to when he was still active as a wrestler. The JSA knew this, as do all the major scandal rags and weeklies. I think the JSA were worried about Wakanoho making a reference to this in any submissions to the court. The gloves would have been off and the weeklies would have gone into overdrive.

The other two Russians went over the edge with out any payouts (as far as I know). Wakakirin, however, is going to get some severence pay. Something stinks here. If you consider that Wakakirin had a couple of dodgy drug tests last year (when our Russian friends were being shown the door), if anything his penalty should be stiffer. On the other hand, at the moment his receiving some form of payout does smell fishy (especially seeing as the Russian brothers did not).
buggerlugs at 12:38 PM JST - 4th February

What I heard on the news was Russians:jomei Japanese:kaiko if the ruling changed I missed it.
Altria at 01:32 PM JST - 4th February

Hey, the government gave severance pay to that clown Tamogami, they can shut their collective cakeholes.
cleo at 01:32 PM JST - 4th February

If you consider that Wakakirin had a couple of dodgy drug tests last year (when our Russian friends were being shown the door), if anything his penalty should be stiffer.

That's what they're saying on the wide shows.

Maybe he's getting off lighter because he fessed up, while the two Russian brothers insisted (and still insist?) that they were clean. A well-placed "gomen nasai" trumps any number of "But I didn't do it"s.
DirtyOldJoe at 02:11 PM JST - 4th February

why is this in the sports section JT? ok got it, it's not a gaijin.
Nessie at 03:44 PM JST - 4th February

A well-placed "gomen nasai" trumps any number of "But I didn't do it"s.

Even if you didn't do it.
soldave at 04:18 PM JST - 4th February

DirtyOldJoe - that's because, as a Japanese wrestler, it is not a crime. Surprised there's not a related story in the crime section about the foreign devils who probably sold him the drugs.
buggerlugs at 05:33 PM JST - 4th February

Soldave: there will be. Just as soon ad the police have finished NOT torturing his confession.
outofmydepth at 06:49 PM JST - 4th February

of course it is lenient - he is not a foreigner!!!! case closed as far as the JSA is concerned.
TokyoXtreme at 07:17 PM JST - 4th February

What is the punishment if a rikishi is caught drinking beer?
ca1ic0cat at 10:23 PM JST - 4th February

I sense a disturbance in the wa, grasshopper...

If we keep dismissing athletes for pot smoking there are going to be a few Olympians having their careers ended too. You would think the athletes would know better though.
zaichik at 06:56 PM JST - 5th February

Surprised there's not a related story in the crime section about the foreign devils who probably sold him the drugs.

There was, a couple of days ago. The story got a lot of a responses too, as I recall.
zaichik at 06:57 PM JST - 5th February

Here you go:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/sumo-world-rocked-after-japanese-wrestler-nabbed-with-pot#comments
Blue_Tiger at 10:41 PM JST - 5th February

I'm surprised they dismissed him. I was almost certain they'd hand him a suspension for a year at most, until he "cleaned up his act". However, his punishment was ligther than what the Russians received.
blackstarrr2003 at 09:21 AM JST - 7th February

why do people hate weed so much? damn let the fat man smoke!!!