Sources: Bunshun / Daily / Daily
Moriya’s Wife Accuses Him of Abuse, Infidelity
Hanshin pitcher Koki Moriya (26) was notified by legal authorities that his wife had filed papers to prosecutors that alleged his physical and verbal abuse over the course of their entire six-year marriage. Things came to a head on April 26, 2018, when his wife alleges that he punched her in the head from behind, and used force on her arms to the point of bruising her wrists and hands. The doctor diagnosed her with bruises and internal bleeding in her head, likely caused by a violent blow.
She said, “First he admitted to having cheated on me and apologized, but then said via his lawyer that he wanted a divorce. We have a four-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son, but my husband has not come home since November 20, and is not paying child support or helping me financially. Right now, my kids and I are staying with my parents and borrowing money from them.”
Reporters asked Moriya about the charges on January 18, but he simply said that he had denied any wrongdoing to the police, and that he had no time to talk to reporters about it any further.
His wife also said that on January 20, she sent paperwork to prosecutors, accusing him of assault. Further details in Weekly Bunshun Magazine imply that Moriya has cheated on her multiple times and that the abuse has been happening since before they got married.
Now at this point, Hanshin fans were ready to throw Moriya in jail and let him rot there until death. However…
Moriya Holds Emergency Press Conference, Denies Everything
Moriya met the press at the team’s headquarters on January 23rd, and explained his side. The first thing he said was: “First of all I want to apologize to my fans, teammates, and everyone involved in the organization for causing such commotion and anxiety. Because there is so much in the upcoming weekly magazine that is untrue, I discussed things with my lawyer and I am considering pressing charges (against the magazine). I also want to tell everyone the truth.
“Also, I want to show my appreciation to the team for believing in me, and for allowing me the chance to report to camp just like the other players. I still want to work hard towards contributing to the team this year.”
Explain again what you can about the allegations coming out in the magazine.
We were arguing like every day, and my wife would get violent, scratching me and so on. I grabbed her wrists to stop her, but she continued to try to attack me, so I held on. That’s probably why there was some internal bleeding as seen in the picture.”
Chairman Tanimoto explained to us that you claim to have been the victim of violence and verbal abuse.
Yes. Like I said, fighting was becoming a daily occurrence, and sometimes she got too worked up and started using her hands out of anger. When I was on road trips she would wreck my gloves and my work bags. It was really hard on me mentally.
Why didn’t you file a report?
It was between me and her, and I didn’t think it was necessary to file anything. To me, you just don’t do that kind of thing in a marriage.
But your wife filed papers.
Back in December, we talked with lawyers present about amicably divorcing. Things seemed to be proceeding smoothly, but during that process I got a sudden call from the police, saying that she had filed an accusation against me, so that put an end to our divorce proceedings for the time being.
And how do you plan to proceed from here?
I will talk about what happened. I want to tell the truth, that’s all.
How have preparations for camp been going?
Because of what has happened here, and how I have caused a lot of anxiety to a lot of people, I feel a little heavy-hearted right now. But I still want to work hard and contribute to the team this year, and I have been preparing to the best of my abilities.
What were your thoughts behind holding a press conference today?
The situation got a lot more attention than I expected it to, and because it’s caused a lot of uproar, I thought I should share my side of the story.
Just to confirm, when did the fighting start?
Maybe in my second year as a pro (2016). There was a period of calmness in there, and we talked of having a second baby. But one day she had a flashback or something, and things went back to fights. It kept happening, right in front of our kids, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I asked her to stop fighting in front of the kids, but it kept happening. So I decided I had to move out.
You were on the receiving end of the abuse, then?
That’s right. Mostly verbal. It was pretty bad.
No physical violence, then?
Marital disputes. I wanted to stop her, that’s the thing. It’s unreasonable for her to call that violence.
And you’re thinking of pressing charges against the magazine, then?
I won’t decide that until I talk about it carefully with my lawyer.
Allegations of assault go back to 2016. What do you know about the bruises on her head?
I saw the diagnosis from the doctors, too. I have zero recollection of the internal bleeding. When and how it happened, I don’t remember. That’s all.
Chairman Tanimoto spoke of your wife’s bad habit of squandering money, and how that was the reason you stopped sending child support.
That’s right. She applied for a credit card that withdrew money from my bank account. There was that. I was sending her ample money, but she kept using that credit card and racking up bills, so I had to stop sending her money and open up a new bank account.
Your wife interprets that as you not helping with child support.
The credit card account is in her name, so I can’t cancel it.
Will you even be able to stay with the team during camp?
I don’t know for sure about that.
The amicable divorce proceedings have been stopped, though?
That’s right. I tried to be flexible and bend to meet her demands, but her conditions were completely unreasonable. Some of the things she was asking for were impossible, and then there were her accusations against me. It’s gotten a little crazy.
But are you determined to break up with her?
The fights in front of the kids, the threats of violence (from her). It was so hard for me, knowing that our kids were seeing that. That’s the biggest thing – our divorce is probably best for our kids. I’m living on my own now.
How has your voluntary training in Okayama been going? How’s your body?
I feel really good, physically. I’ve been training really hard.