KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a former professional baseball player for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in Yokohama City earlier this year. The arrest is his second this year, reports TBS News (July 7).
In the latest case, Hayato Mishima, 43, is alleged to have sexually assaulted the first-year high school student, 16, on a street at around 9:00 p.m. on February 7.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse, Mishima denied the allegations. He said, “I don’t remember anything at all.”
According to police, Mishima committed the crime in a deserted residential area. Mishima surfaced as a person of interest after an examination of security camera footage.
The incident came to light when an acquaintance of the victim called police.
Last month, police arrested Mishima in a separate case. In that incident, he was accused of indecent assault without consent for committing lewd acts on an 18-year-old woman in Yokohama in April.
In 2009, Mishima joined SoftBank as a developmental draft pick. At the time, the catcher used the surname Doue. Three years later, he arrested and indicted on charges of indecent assault against a girl while he was still an active player. He was subsequently handed a prison sentence.
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