Invasion of Shohei Ohtani’s Privacy; Dodgers Ban Two Japanese Media Houses for Spying on Ohtani’s Property

Shohei Ohtani may be the greatest baseball player of this generation; nay, of any generation. And yet, sometimes, his off-field exploits receive more attention than his heroics on the diamond. Despite, or perhaps due to, his success with the Dodgers, shrouding his day-to-day life from prying gazes has become a distant dream for the star pitcher. At first, it was when Ohtani got married to Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka in February, then the messy gambling scandal in April and the resulting media trial that had many blaming him as the culprit behind the betting.

Eventually, it came out that his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was the one who stole $16 million from his bank account. Now, his team has banned two media houses, placing him in the headlines once again. Last month, in a breach of privacy, Japanese media houses Fuju TV and Nippon TV were seen reporting about Shohei Ohtani’s $7.8 million mansion purchase in Los Angeles. Additionally, their constant investigation of his wife only increased distrust on his end. So much so that the Los Angeles Dodgers have now, keeping this new development in mind, taken away their reporting passes.  

Although reporting isn’t a crime, the mansion was covered in a rather glorifying manner, from aerial shots of the entire house to interviewing his neighbors. But since the gambling case around his former interpreter, Mizuhara, and the subsequent fallout, Shohei Ohtani has apparently been turning his back on Japanese media. Following the mansion reporting incident, the NY Dodgers even issued a ban on their footage.

Nippon Television and Fuji Television’s response to Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers ban

Amidst Gendai Business questioning Fuji Television and Nippon Television, their responses were as follows: “Regarding the questions we received today, we are very sorry, but we are not answering any questions regarding the interview. Thank you for your understanding.” as reported by the ‘Nippon TV Public Relations Department.’ 

On the other hand, the Fuji Television Corporate Public Relations Department’s answer was rather succinct, “We have nothing to say in particular.” Over the past years, cases of burglaries at celebrity houses have induced a sense of panic and hysteria. The Ohtani family is no different and has increasingly become wary of Japanese media.

In the States, Shohei Ohtani is a name synonymous with the country’s favorite sport. In Japan, he is akin to a god, an idol, the greatest athlete the country has produced. Seeing such incidents, there is a viable privacy concern for someone as popular and resourceful as Ohtani. Eventually, this time, the Dodgers revoked their credentials, offering a sigh of relief for Ohtani and his family.

But after a second bout with the press, Shohei Ohtani may very well seek alternate ways to maintain his privacy, and while doing so, reiterate that nothing is on top when it comes to privacy and his family’s security. What do you make of Ohtani’s consistent struggles with media interference? Share in the comments below.