Japan send home four basketball players from Asian Games amid prostitution scandal

Japan has sent home four of its men’s basketball squad from the Asian Games after the quartet allegedly paid women for sex during an evening out.

The players – named by officials as Takuya Hashimoto, Keita Imamura, Yuya Nagayoshi and Takuma Sato – are said to have headed into Jakarta in national team clothing following Thursday’s 82-71 win over Qatar.

In a news conference, Japan chef de mission Yasuhiro Yamashita said the four “spent the night in a hotel with women”, while Yuko Mitsuya, chief of the Japan Basketball Association, declared that further sanctions were likely to be forthcoming.

“I just feel a sense of shame. We deeply apologise and intend to give the athletes thorough guidance from now on,” said Yamashita.

“In what ways can we prevent these incidents?

“The Japanese Olympic Committee has already launched an integrity education [programme], but as the head of our sports delegation, if we fail to execute this, we will keep betraying the Japanese people. This is unacceptable.”