The world of Japanese sports has expressed surprise and disappointment at this week's arrest of former baseball star slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara for alleged drug use.
Former teammates from his turn at the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants, coaches, and local fans from his high school, where he played for baseball powerhouse PL Gakuen in Osaka, were among those to comment on reports of Kiyohara's arrest Tuesday night on suspicion of possessing a stimulant.
Above all else, disappointment was the one word that appeared to resonate with them all. It is, after all, still a rare event in Japan for a high-profile athlete to be linked to drugs, such is the expectation — and norm — for stars of that caliber to be clean, safe role models.