Sumo: Phones destroyed, changed in match-fixing scandal: sources

TOKYO, Feb. 7 Kyodo - Some of the 14 wrestlers under suspicion of match fixing may have tried to cover up evidence by breaking their mobile phones that were confiscated to examine text messages implicating them in bout rigging, sources said on Monday.
Upon a visit to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hanaregoma told sports minister Yoshiaki Takaki that ''There are examples of cellphones being changed altogether or broken.''
Hanaregoma paid a visit to Takaki to apologize and report on the investigation into bout rigging that resulted in the cancellation of next month's Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in an emergency meeting of the JSA the previous day.
''Again, I want to apologize deeply for all of the trouble that has been caused,'' Hanaregoma said.
It appears that one of the reasons why the investigation could be drawn out is that some of those implicated in match fixing have submitted new cellphones or ones that are broken.
A JSA source said that of the 14, one person claimed that his wife stepped on his cellphone, causing it to break, while another reported to the special investigative panel that he bought a new phone after the New Year meet in January.
When asked whether the wrestlers under suspicion may have intentionally broken their phones, one ministry official said, ''I haven't heard as much.''
The special investigative panel had planned to begin questioning wrestlers from sumo's top two divisions -- the makuuchi and juryo -- on Monday but there has been a delay, apparently because preparations are still being made. It was unclear whether the panel would launch the probe on Tuesday.
According to sources, the 14 who have been implicated have been asked questions about specific bouts that were referred to in text messages and the role of junior-division wrestler Enatsukasa, who appeared to be acting as a go-between.
Questioning took from 30 minutes in one case to up to an hour and a half in another.
Takaki reiterated his pledge to get to the bottom of the scandal, which has caused the first cancellation of a tournament in 65 years. The last meet called off was in 1946 but that was due to repair work at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Japan's main sumo venue, which was damaged during World War II.
''There was no choice but to call off the March meet because of the seriousness of the situation. This is a serious crisis that calls into question the existence of sumo's government affiliated status,'' said Takaki.
Sumo currently gets special government backing and tax breaks but that status could be revoked.
''The sumo world must deal with the eradication of this (match fixing) in a prompt fashion. We want them to go back to the basics and rebuild themselves,'' he said.
So far, three people whose phone text messages suggested they were involved in swapping wins or losses for cash have admitted to match fixing.
Juryo-division wrestler Chiyohakuho is one of the active wrestlers who confessed.
The JSA's investigative panel said second-tier wrestler Kiyoseumi, who was the only one of four who exchanged emails to deny involvement, would have to come clean.
Last year, several wrestlers were arrested for betting illegally on baseball games, allegedly with gangsters involved in the dealings, and former ozeki Kotomitsuki was actually kicked out of sumo for the offense.
That scandal followed revelations in 2009 of marijuana use among wrestlers that resulted in the expulsion of three Russian and one Japanese grappler.
Match fixing has long been rumored to plague the sumo world but nothing has ever been proven.