Yomiuri Giants executives to resign over gambling scandal

TOKYO (AP) Tsuneo Watanabe and two other executives of the Yomiuri Giants will resign to take responsibility for a gambling scandal that has hit Japan's oldest professional baseball team.

The Central League team said on Tuesday that owner Kojiro Shiraishi and team chairman Tsunekazu Momoi will resign. The decision follows an announcement earlier Tuesday that another Yomiuri player - Kyosuke Takagi - was found to have bet on baseball games.

Three of Takagi's Yomiuri teammates received indefinite suspensions in November, after they were involved in the same gambling scandal.

The 89-year-old Watanabe, the most powerful individual in Nippon Professional Baseball for decades, was the owner of the Giants until 2004. He had since served as adviser to the team.

Watanabe is also chairman of the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest-selling newspaper.