Police arrest former sumo coach accused of murder

Tokitsukaze tries to dodge press harassment. The technician was arrested this Thursday

Japanese police on Thursday arrested a former sumo coach in connection with the death of a 17-year-old wrestler, who died during a training camp in June last year after allegedly fighting. with companions.
Tokitsukaze, 57, whose real name is Junichi Yamamoto, and three other fighters are suspected of causing injuries to the body of fighter Takashi Saito, leading to his death.

Also in June last year, Yamamoto allegedly hit Saito on purpose with a bottle after the fighter tried to escape training. The suspicion that falls on the former coach is that he ordered three older fighters to attack Saito. The assault included beatings with a metal baseball bat.

Japan's sumo association fired the coach in October 2007.

An autopsy showed that Saito's body had lesions and wounds that did not appear consistent with those contracted from normal sumo training.

Yamamoto admitted to hitting Saito in the head with a beer bottle the day before he died, and to forcing him to train so hard that he could barely stand on the day of his death.

The fighter's father said Saito twice fled training - once in mid-June, and again the day before his death - but did not say he was threatened or attacked.