Japanese baseball star Hayato Sakamoto incorrectly claimed some 240 million yen ($1.6 million) in deductions on his tax returns over a three-year period through 2022 and was required to pay back taxes, a source familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau informed the 36-year-old Yomiuri Giants veteran that he had incorrectly claimed money spent on dinners with teammates at high-end restaurants and nightclubs as business expenses.
Money used in the pursuit of income is regarded as a business expense, but Sakamoto’s spending was deemed not to qualify. He appears to have been hit with some 100 million yen in back taxes, according to the source.
The Giants’ public relations department said the issue “does not constitute malicious tax evasion or intentional concealment of income.” It noted previously approved expenses were rejected, but they followed the tax authorities’ instructions to rectify the situation.
Sakamoto, a Hyogo Prefecture native, was named the Most Valuable Player in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League as a shortstop in 2019 and won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as a member of the Japan national team.
Yomiuri Giants shortstop Hayato Sakamoto is pictured during practice at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on Nov. 20, 2020, a day before Game 1 of the Japan Series against the SoftBank Hawks. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo