A Magazine Article Exposed The Uncrowned King's Secret

A retired baseball legend in Tokyo faces a magazine claim that threatens the Uncrowned King's reputation - how did that expose him? A Magazine Article Exposed The Uncrowned King's Secret In this episode, we follow the sequence of milestones, media reports, and personal statements that shaped the public story of Kiyohara Kazuhiro. The episode traces how a single magazine article and later events pressed on contradictions the public had already been told - and asks how those gaps widened into a police case. Person: Kiyohara Kazuhiro Date: April 29, 2005; March 6, 2014; February 2, 2016 Location: Hiroshima; Tokyo Event: 500th career home run; Shūkan Bunshun article alleging drug hospitalization and a knife chase; arrest on suspicion of illegal drug possession Period: Career peak 1985-2008; post-retirement controversies 2014-2016 - Born August 18, 1967 in Kishiwada, Osaka, he became a national high school star at PL Gakuen and set a Koshien record with 13 home runs. - Drafted second by the Seibu Lions in 1985 after his childhood team, the Yomiuri Giants, selected his teammate Masumi Kuwata first. - Over eleven seasons with Seibu he hit 332 home runs and won six Japan Series titles before joining the Giants in 1997 and finally wearing the uniform he had wanted. - On April 29, 2005, now with the Giants, he hit his 500th career home run (and his 2,000th career hit), finishing his career with 525 homers and multiple all-time NPB records. - After retirement, a March 6, 2014 Shūkan Bunshun article reported an emergency hospitalization attributed to drug side effects and quoted his wife alleging he chased her with a knife; he publicly denied the drug claim and cited type 2 diabetes. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].