Japanese textbook publisher Kyoiku-Shuppan said Thursday that it has removed a section in its approved English textbook for junior high school third-year students that introduced Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani.
The move came after Mizuhara reportedly pleaded guilty early this month to bank fraud and other charges for stealing $17 million from Ohtani's bank account. "It has become a big scandal, so we found him (Mizuhara) inappropriate for a textbook," an official of the publisher said.
The revision to the textbook has been approved by the education ministry, according to the company.
The three-page section in question noted that Mizuhara supported Ohtani, including in his private life, with a photo of the two. It has been replaced with a section on the Japanese men's national soccer team.