The Press Conference
On November 11, 2011, Hideto Kiyotake, then GM of the Yomiuri Giants, held an unprecedented press conference accusing chairman Tsuneo Watanabe of improperly interfering in coaching staff decisions for the 2012 season.
Watanabe Power Structure
The shock of Kiyotake revelation stemmed from the absolute power structure Watanabe had built within the Yomiuri Group, controlling personnel decisions across the newspaper, television network, and baseball team.
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Retaliation and Legal Battle
Kiyotake was immediately dismissed and filed a lawsuit against Yomiuri, but the court ultimately ruled against him, finding that Watanabe actions fell within the scope of organizational authority.
Governance Lessons
The incident exposed structural weaknesses in NPB team governance, where parent company executives can arbitrarily intervene in baseball operations without institutional checks.
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