11 members of Hokkaido's Komadai Tomakomai High School baseball team were punished, possibly related to theft. It was discovered that when the third-year student was working part-time at a convenience store and other club members came to shop, he pretended to go through the cash register and handed over the items without paying.
In response to this, the Japan Student Baseball Association banned the school from playing any foreign games for one month starting January 31st. In addition, a total of 19 penalties were imposed, including a two-year suspension for the baseball team coach.