Fallen Japanese baseball star Kazuhiro Kiyohara, who was handed a suspended term for possessing, using and purchasing illegal drugs earlier this year, has admitted using different drugs during his playing days.
The 49-year-old Kiyohara, speaking during a program aired on TBS on Thursday night, said he used greenies, an amphetamine that helps increase focus.
Kiyohara, a slugger who played for the Seibu Lions, Yomiuri Giants and Orix Buffaloes from 1985-2008, said he started using greenies on the recommendation of a foreign player. He did not say at which point in his career he used them.
Greenies, so called because of their green color, were widely used in MLB before being banned in 2006.
Experimental doping tests were introduced in Japanese baseball in 2006, and a full-fledged program was implemented the following year, banning the use of stimulants.
The Tokyo District Court on May 31 sentenced Kiyohara to two years and six months in prison, suspended from four years.
Prosecutors had demanded a prison term of two years and six months for a violation of the stimulants control law concerning psychoactive agents such as amphetamines and methamphetamines.
Kiyohara was arrested on Feb. 2 for possession of stimulant drugs at his apartment in Tokyo.
He was also charged with drug use at a Tokyo hotel around Feb. 1 and purchasing the drugs from an acquaintance at a hotel in Gunma Prefecture around Sept. 1.
Kiyohara admitted to the charges at his first court hearing on May 17, saying he began using drugs because he could not deal with the stress and anxiety he experienced after retirement, and he apologized to children aspiring to become professional ballplayers.
