Shinnosuke Abe — manager of the Yomiuri Giants, Japan’s oldest and most storied professional baseball team — stepped down Tuesday following his arrest on suspicion of assaulting his daughter.
Abe, 47, resigned as manager of the team, viewed as Japan’s closest equivalent to the New York Yankees, and apologized for “tarnishing the proud tradition of Giants managers.”
He was taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police Department for allegedly grabbing his 18-year-old daughter and forcing her to the floor at their home in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, an investigative source said. He was released early Tuesday.
“We view the act of violence very seriously and have determined that he cannot remain as manager,” Giants owner Toshikazu Yamaguchi said in a statement.
Abe, who has a reputation among Giants fans as a demanding manager who holds players to strict standards, has admitted to the allegation, telling investigators he lost his temper as he tried to mediate in a dispute between his daughters, according to the source.
Offensive chief coach Hideki Hashigami will serve as acting manager from Tuesday’s interleague game against the SoftBank Hawks at Tokyo Dome, the Giants said.
Abe was quoted by police as saying he told his daughters to be quiet, but they talked back to him and he became “furious.” He was arrested at home in front of his daughters and wife, the source said. He is believed to have been drunk at the time of the incident.
A child guidance center made an emergency call shortly after 7 p.m., reporting that the daughter had been hit by her father. Child guidance centers in Japan are local government bodies that respond to suspected child abuse and other welfare cases.
The daughter reported the incident to the center after consulting the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, according to the source, who added that Tokyo police had not received any prior reports or consultations regarding Abe.
The catcher who starred at Chuo University in Tokyo joined the Giants through the 2000 draft. He retired in 2019 and assumed the managerial post from Tatsunori Hara, who managed Japan to victory in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, ahead of the 2024 season after serving as their head coach and batting coach.
Abe led the Giants to the Central League pennant in his first season in charge before finishing third last year. They are currently third.
He had 2,132 hits and 406 home runs during his 19-year professional career with the Giants, leading the Central League in batting average and RBIs in 2012. He initially became the manager of the Giants’ farm team after retiring.
Abe contributed to eight Central League pennants and three Japan Series titles during his playing career.
© KYODO
