Shinnosuke Abe resigned as manager of the Yomiuri Giants professional baseball team on May 26, a day after he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his 18-year-old daughter.
Abe, 47, a former star catcher with the storied club, apologized at a news conference at the team’s Tokyo office.
“I have caused a great deal of trouble for many baseball fans and the company because of my family issues,” he said. “I have also tarnished the name of the manager of the historic Giants, and I want to express my deepest apologies.”
According to the team and investigative sources, the incident occurred around 6 p.m. on May 25 at Abe’s home in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward.
When his eldest and second daughters began fighting, Abe told them to “be quiet” and to “stop it.”
After the eldest daughter “talked back,” Abe allegedly became enraged, grabbed her by the collar and shoved her to the ground, the sources said.
The daughter was not injured.
She asked the generative AI ChatGPT about the situation and, following its recommendation, reported the incident to a child consultation center, according to investigative sources.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Child Consultation Center, which handles cases in Shibuya Ward, confirmed it received a report concerning Abe on May 25 and subsequently made an emergency call to the police.
The center declined to provide further details, stating, “We cannot speak about it due to personal information concerns.”
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Shibuya Station were dispatched to the home and arrested Abe on the spot.
Abe appeared calm when officers arrived, the sources said.
But police determined that an immediate separation of the family members was necessary, citing the significant physical size difference between Abe and his daughters, the fact that he seemed to be intoxicated, and the potential for psychological abuse as the incident occurred in front of the 15-year-old second daughter.
A breathalyzer test later revealed that Abe had been drinking, the sources said.
The MPD released Abe in the early hours of May 26. The department switched to an investigation “on a voluntary basis” after determining there was no risk of Abe fleeing or destroying evidence.
According to a police source, cases from child consultation centers typically involve minors under 18. But the Abe case was likely referred to police because the complaint involved a person aged 18 who claimed to have been assaulted.
Abe appeared remorseful during questioning. No similar troubles or consultations involving him were confirmed before this incident, according to the sources.
The Yomiuri Giants announced that Hideki Hashigami, 60, the chief offense coach, will serve as acting manager of the team.
DAUGHTER’S PLEA
At the same news conference at the Giants’ office, a representative read a letter from Abe’s eldest daughter that was addressed to the media.
She said she wanted to “clarify” what had happened and apologize for it escalating into such a “major incident.”
It was “the first time I had a fight of this magnitude with my father,” but reports that he had hit or kicked her were untrue, she wrote.
She said she “consulted ChatGPT, and it explained that there were child consultation centers where I could seek advice anonymously, and that is why I called.”
Staff at the child consultation center did not ask her what she wanted to do, she wrote, and the situation resulted in them calling the police.
“I was the one most shocked when the police arrived,” she wrote. “Seeing my father being led away by them right in front of me, I broke down in tears.”
She said her father is always cheerful, and that they have already reconciled.
“I know it may be difficult to stop in this day and age, but I implore everyone to please refrain as much as possible from the slander, online attacks, and public shaming directed at my family, my father, and myself,” she said.
‘UNEXPECTED’ CASE
Child consultation centers are established under the Child Welfare Law.
According to the Children and Families Agency, operational guidelines mandate that centers share information and cooperate with police in serious cases that could become criminal matters.
“This is a rather unexpected type of case, but if it is determined at the field level that the situation is urgent and requires a police officer’s presence, an emergency call is a possibility,” an agency official said about the Abe incident.
The centers operate a dedicated abuse hotline, “189.”
Under the system, a call center identifies the caller’s residential area and forwards the call to a nearby consultation center. Specialists there then handle the case.
STAR CATCHER
The Giants’ manager has traditionally been a former star who spent his entire playing career with the team.
Abe was no exception.
After graduating from Yasuda Gakuen Senior High School and attending Chuo University, he was the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2000.
A power-hitting catcher, Abe played for the team from the 2001 to 2019 seasons, serving as captain from 2007 to 2014.
His career totals include 2,282 games, 2,132 hits, and 406 home runs.
After retiring as a player in 2019, he served as the farm team manager and a coach before being appointed manager of Giants in 2024.
The Giants won the Central League pennant in his first year as manager. This season was the final year of his three-year contract.
FANBASE STUNNED
The news sent shockwaves through the team’s fanbase.
At Giants Town, a team facility in Inagi, western Tokyo, dismay spread among fans on May 26.
“Seriously? I’m just speechless,” said a 27-year-old man from Soka, Saitama Prefecture. “An arrest in mid-season ... it’s happened with players before, but never the first-team manager.”
A 68-year-old Yomiuri fan from Yokohama also expressed his bewilderment.
“We were just about to switch gears for interleague games. I’m shocked. I wonder what’s going to happen now,” he said.
“Families have their issues. But still, it’s a compliance violation,” the fan continued. “He’s in a position where he has to be a role model. Abe is the kind of figure who could be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s sad to think it might end like this.”