"Can an Influencer With a Nightlife Background Really Throw the First Pitch?"... Japanese Baseball Team Cancels Event After Backlash

Tokyo Yakult Cancels Sponsored Event on the Day
"Deemed Inappropriate for Family-Friendly Stadium"
Promotional Video Featuring Uniform-Undoing Also Criticized

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball canceled their plan to have an influencer with a nightlife industry background throw the ceremonial first pitch on the day of the event.

Influencer Kiho, who was scheduled to throw the first pitch for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Japanese professional baseball. Instagram

According to Japanese media outlets such as J-CAST News on the 16th, the Swallows announced on their official website, "The 'Champagne Le Reve Brillant Day,' which was scheduled to be held today, has been canceled due to various circumstances. We deeply apologize for this sudden notice." The game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp at Meiji Jingu Stadium went ahead as planned.

This event was planned as a special promotion sponsored by the luxury champagne brand 'Le Reve Brillant.' The club had intended to set up a special booth in front of the stadium and distribute 20,000 commemorative fans to attendees. A raffle event with champagne and other prizes was scheduled to be held at the booth, with participation limited to those aged 20 and above.

The controversy centered around the participants. Influencer Kiho, who has about 270,000 followers on Instagram, was set to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Kiho is known as a former employee of a Japanese hostess club, or "Kyabakura."

In addition, the girl group 'Chance Gals' was scheduled to perform at the pre-game event. Formed in 2024 through a program on the Japanese streaming platform Abema, the group reportedly consists of former idols and former Kyabakura employees. They have promoted the message, "The world is not equal. But everyone has opportunities."

When plans for the event became public, social networking services (SNS) were filled with criticism that the event was inappropriate for a stadium frequented by families and children. Many netizens commented, "Is this an attempt to promote Kyabakura employees at a pro baseball event?" and "Is it acceptable to hold an event that children should not see?"

The girl group "Chance Girls," composed of former idols and cabaret club employees, wore team uniforms and posted a promotional video. Instagram

A promotional video posted by 'Chance Gals' further fueled the criticism. In the video, some members were seen undoing the chest area of the Yakult uniform or adjusting the hem to be shorter. There were also scenes of grabbing the beak of the team's mascot, Tsubakuro, which led to claims of "a lack of respect for the team and its uniform." The controversial video was deleted without an apology. However, some defended the event, saying, "If the event is at the sponsor's request, it's not a problem," and "Excluding someone because of their job is discrimination."

Japanese weekly Josei Prime reported, "It is highly unusual for a sponsorship event at an official professional baseball game to be canceled on the day of the event."

This is not the first time someone from the nightlife industry has thrown the ceremonial first pitch in Nippon Professional Baseball. Roland, known as the "King of Hosts," threw the first pitch at a Yokohama DeNA BayStars home game in 2020, and returned to the mound the following year for the club's "Kids Star Night" event aimed at children.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.