Ryutaro Hatsuki, pictured while playing for Hiroshima last season, at Jingu Stadium on August 29, 2025. (©Sankei by Minami Nagao)
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Former Hiroshima Toyo Carp player Ryutaro Hatsuki, 26, was found guilty of using etomidate, a designated drug known as "zombie cigarettes." But it was his courtroom testimony that continues to reverberate across Japanese baseball: Hatsuki claimed that other Carp players around him had also used the substance.
X Posts Raise New Questions
Hatsuki's comments in court drew intense public attention, especially after his conviction. The day after the verdict, on May 16, an X account believed to belong to him— @hatsuki0419—was updated for the first time in three years.
"Amid the various speculation and reports now circulating, I intend in the coming days to provide an opportunity to speak properly about this matter in my own words."
The post was reposted more than 9,000 times and drew a flood of replies demanding answers.
On May 25, another post appeared, announcing a livestream for May 28 at 8:00 PM.
First Use
Back in the courtroom, Hatsuki was facing a charge under the Act on Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. Prosecutors said he used a small amount of etomidate at his home around December 16, 2025, for nonmedical purposes.
At his first hearing at the Hiroshima District Court on May 15, the judge asked whether he disputed the indictment. Hatsuki answered clearly: "No."
According to the prosecution's opening statement and statements from the investigation phase admitted into evidence, Hatsuki first encountered etomidate sometime around March or April 2025. During a road trip to Tokyo, he went to a bar with an acquaintance introduced by a senior teammate. He was told it was "shisha," or water-pipe tobacco, and inhaled it without suspicion. The identity of the senior teammate was not made clear.
'Gray Area'
Hatsuki later began buying the liquid from that acquaintance. Around June or July, he asked whether there was any problem with using it and was told, "It's a gray area, so it's fine."
Then, around November, Hatsuki’s family showed him a television program about etomidate. He began to suspect that the liquid he had been using might contain the same substance. When he checked again, the acquaintance told him, "The law changed on May 16."
Hatsuki took that as an indirect admission that the drug was illegal. Still, he didn't stop. The acquaintance allegedly told him he would be "fine as long as he wasn't caught red-handed with the liquid."
According to the testimony, Hatsuki did not use it every day, but on some days used it twice.
Trust Betrayed
Hatsuki spent at least ¥1 million ($6,300) on the substance. Each cartridge cost ¥22,500–¥25,000 (about $140–160), and he bought ten at a time on five occasions. He said he was struggling with insomnia and could not stop because it helped him sleep. The last time he used it was on December 16, when he heated and inhaled a cartridge in bed at the apartment in Hiroshima's Naka Ward where he was living at the time.
He had also entrusted ¥4 million (about $25,000) to the acquaintance under the pretext of an investment, and used money repaid from that amount to buy the cartridges. At one point, he had even had them sent to the Carp team dormitory in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Questioned by his defense lawyer, Hatsuki said he began using the substance after being told it would help him sleep. He expressed regret, saying, "My family told me to stop. I should have listened to them."
"I am truly sorry for betraying the trust of the fans, the team, and everyone involved," he said.
Under questioning by prosecutors, Hatsuki again said he had continued using the substance because "there were players around me doing the same thing."
A Former Pro's Pride Still Intact
He also spoke about what might come next for him, while still showing a measure of pride in having played professionally.
Under questioning by the prosecutor, Hatsuki was asked what the case had cost him.
"I lost my job, and the people around me began to drift away," he said.
Asked whether he could continue playing baseball, Hatsuki replied, "For now, I think I'm going to step away from baseball."
The prosecutor then asked how he planned to support himself. Hatsuki said he knew little about life outside the sport and intended to start with part-time work. Pressed for specifics, he admitted he had only done some online searches.
The questioning then turned to his insomnia. Hatsuki said the symptoms had begun after he entered professional baseball.
The prosecutor asked whether the pressure to produce results had played a role.
"Maybe it did," Hatsuki said. "But I don't want to think of it that way."
Asked why, he answered, "I don't want to blame it on that."
Carp Face Fallout After Suspended Sentence
Because sentencing was the only issue before the court, the trial moved quickly and concluded the same day. After a recess, the judge handed down a sentence of one year in prison, suspended for three years. Prosecutors had sought a one-year prison term.
In explaining the ruling, the judge said Hatsuki had shown "an affinity for designated drugs," while also noting that he had expressed remorse.
The most explosive remark from the trial was his claim that "other players" had also used the substance. It is possible that Hatsuki made similar statements during the investigation. If so, the Hiroshima Prefectural Police are believed to have already conducted the necessary inquiries. Even if Hatsuki were to identify specific players now, it is uncertain whether the police could build a criminal case against them.
In response to Hatsuki's remarks, the Carp were forced to act, including by deciding to conduct another investigation of all players. Even so, since May 15, the day of the first hearing, the team has won three straight series.
RELATED:
How Zombie Juice Became Japan's Latest Drug Threat
(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Koki Yada, The Sankei Shimbun
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