Four Japanese basketball players were kicked off their Asian Games team and sent home on Monday after delegation head Yasuhiro Yamashita said they "spent the night in a hotel with women". The players reportedly left the athletes’ village after 10pm for dinner in Jakarta on Thursday and “paid for the services of prostitutes” later that night, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News. Recommended Unified Korean athletes parade together at Asian Games ceremony Mr Yamashita told a news conference that the four players hooked up with the women after eating and drinking in an entertainment district and were easily identified by wearing Japan-emblazoned shirts. "I met with the athletes and they deeply regret what they did," Mr Yamashita said. "I apologise from the bottom of my heart as the head of the delegation." The incident took place after Japan's 82-71 win over Qatar in a group-stage game last Thursday. 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In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire.<doc-sep>Four Japanese basketball players were sent home from the Asian Games in Indonesia after allegedly paying women for sex, leaving just eight players on the Japan roster for the rest of the tournament. The Asian Games, which began over the weekend but have had basketball being played since the beginning of last week, will go until Sep. 2. So Japan will be spending several games shorthanded. "I feel a sense of shame," Japanese chef de mission Yasuhiro Yamashita said, via the BBC. "We deeply apologize and intend to give the athletes thorough guidance from now on." The alleged incident occurred after a Thursday win over Qatar. The four players -- identified as Takuya Hashimoto, Keita Imamura, Yuya Nagayoshi and Takuma Sato by officials -- were directed to a bar where they could meet women by a local who spoke Japanese. They reportedly checked into a hotel with four women after spending a few hours at the bar, and didn't leave until Friday morning. Takuma Sato speaks during a press conference in Tokyo after four players had been withdrawn from the Asian Games Japanese delegation and sent back to Japan. Getty Images "The players flew back home at their own expense," Yamashita said. "The athletes should be role models of society, not only in the sporting venues but also on other occasions," he added. While it isn't fun to have to fly home on your own dime, this situation isn't great for their teammates either. Anyone who's played in an intramural league where a few players didn't show up knows how tough it is to play with limited subs.<doc-sep>Four members of the Japanese men’s basketball team have been sent packing from the Asian games for allegedly paying to prostitutes during their promenade in Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Last week, the athletes, wearing their national team shirts, had a dinner in a Japanese restaurant located in Jakarta’s entertainment district before being spotted with a group of women with whom they went to a nearby hotel. Read more After the news about the quartet’s behavior surfaced, the players were expelled from the games for violating the Japanese Olympic Committee’s code of conduct. “This action violated the national team’s code of conduct… and it betrayed the expectations of Japanese citizens,” Japanese delegation chief Yasuhiro Yamashita said at a press conference on Monday. “As the chief of the delegation, it is very regrettable and I deeply apologize from the bottom my heart.” READ MORE: Former Tour De France winner arrested after alleged assault of prostitute Yuya Nagayoshi, 27, Takuya Hashimoto, 23, Takuma Sato, 23, and Keita Imamura, 22, left Jakarta early on Monday morning to return to their home country. “I would like to humbly apologise to the Japanese public, the JOC and everyone who supports basketball for this deplorable incident,” Japan basketball chief Yuko Mitsuya said, adding that the punishment for the players’ ‘inconsiderate acts’ will be decided later. READ MORE: Football’s first transgender referee to renew wedding vows with loyal wife Japan’s men’s basketball team won their opening game against Qatar 82-71 and is expected to continue participating in the tournament without substitutes for the four ousted players.<doc-sep>Four Japanese basketball players have been sent home early from the Asian Games in Indonesia for allegedly hiring prostitutes while on a night out in the capital Jakarta following their victory over Qatar. The Asian Games opened on Saturday in Jakarta, with the basketball competition beginning Thursday. According to the BBC, the four players went out for dinner wearing their team tracksuits Thursday night and later ended up at a hotel with several women. The players were sent home Monday morning and stripped of their national team membership, Japanese news agency Kyodo News reported. Yuya Nagayoshi, 27, Takuya Hashimoto, 23, Takuma Sato, 23, and Keita Imamura, 22, are the players alleged to have solicited sex on the night out. According to Japan's chef de mission Yasuhiro Yamashita, the team members met a Japanese-speaking local while out for dinner in the Block M area of the city, known for its nightlife. The local told them about a bar where they could meet women. After spending some time in the bar, the athletes checked into a nearby hotel with four women, where they stayed until Friday morning and with whom they engaged in "inappropriate acts," Yamashita explained, and "paid for the services of prostitutes." "This action violated the national team's code of conduct...and it betrayed the expectations of Japanese citizens," he said. Yamashita went on to say he felt "a sense of shame" over his players' actions. "We deeply apologize and intend to give the athletes thorough guidance from now on," he added, noting that the four team members had flown home at their own expense. "The athletes should be role models of society, not only in the sporting venues but also on other occasions," Yamashita said. He noted that the remaining eight players would continue to compete in the competition, which ends on September 2. There will be no substitute players allowed to join the squad in the meantime and the team's next game will he held on Wednesday against Hong Kong. In a statement, the head of the Japan Basketball Association Yuko Mitsuya said the players' actions were "unspeakable as athletes representing Japan," adding "there is no room to make excuses for their inconsiderate acts." The players said they wore team tracksuits because they only expected to go out for dinner and then return to the athletes' village. Because the national team is financed by taxpayer money, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) stipulates that all members must act as "model citizens" even when not competing. The JOC learned about the night out after a local newspaper published photos of the men out on the town. Yamashita said all four team members deeply regretted their actions.<doc-sep>
Last updated on .From the section Basketball "I deeply apologise to the Japanese people," Japan's chef de mission said Four Japanese basketball players have been sent home from the Asian Games for allegedly paying women for sex. The players went out for dinner in Jakarta wearing their team uniforms and were solicited by touts to go to a hotel with women, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News. external-link The Asian Games opened in the Indonesian capital on Saturday and run until 2 September. "I feel a sense of shame," Japan's chef de mission Yasuhiro Yamashita said. "We deeply apologise and intend to give the athletes thorough guidance from now on." The basketball competition began before Saturday's opening ceremony, and the alleged incident happened following victory over Qatar on Thursday, Yamashita told a news conference. He said the four players met a Japanese-speaking local, who told them about a bar where they could meet women. They spent a couple of hours at the bar before checking into a hotel with four women, and stayed there until Friday morning, he added. Officials named the players as Takuya Hashimoto, Keita Imamura, Yuya Nagayoshi and Takuma Sato. "The players flew back home at their own expense," Yamashita said, adding the remaining eight squad members would continue in the competition. "The athletes should be role models of society, not only in the sporting venues but also on other occasions." Organisers say about 18,000 athletes and officials are visiting Jakarta and co-host city Palembang for the Asian Games, a regional competition featuring 40 events.