BASEBALL / Rakuten vows to keep investing in Monkeys

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) Rakuten Group, Inc., owners of the Taoyuan-based Rakuten Monkeys professional baseball team, has pledged to address multiple issues following a successful but controversial season for the Taiwan Series winners.

At a press conference in Taipei on Monday, Takashi Katsuragi, CEO of Rakuten Asia Pte., said through a translator that the Monkeys "play a central role in the company's sports business," adding that the company "has no plan to sell the franchise."

Katsuragi visited Taiwan in the wake of reports about the poor condition of players' meals and dormitory facilities, as well as the contentious dismissal of manager Kenji Furukubo, who led the team to its first Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) championship under Rakuten's ownership in late October.

In an August report by the local magazine CTWANT, an unnamed Monkeys player shared photos showing not just dead flies, but live maggots still writhing in meals. In addition, other reports revealed that the dormitory for minor leaguers was in relatively shabby condition.

Also present was Masayuki Morii, president of Nippon Professional Baseball's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, who announced the dismissal of Kouki Makino from the post of Monkeys CEO. Morii will serve as interim CEO of the Taiwan franchise until a new executive is appointed.

"We have formed a group tasked with reviewing all the problems that have been reported and will work to resolve them," Morii said.

According to Morii, meals for the franchise have been provided by a different vendor, and a second vendor will be added by spring training in 2026 to improve players' nutrition.

Meanwhile, the Monkeys' minor leaguers have moved to a dormitory near the team's home stadium, and the franchise has identified three potential dorms pending players' feedback.

The options were selected based on convenience and surrounding security, but the franchise is also considering splitting players between two dorms instead of requiring everyone to live together, Morii said.

Morii acknowledged that there is room for improvement in communication both within the franchise and with fans, and he pledged to strengthen that process.

That includes the way the franchise announced its decision not to continue working with Furukubo, who has received strong support from many players.

Candidates for the new manager include both Taiwanese and Japanese individuals, Morii said, but he declined to disclose the number of candidates, saying the franchise will make the final selection public once all matters are settled.

CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) also attended the press event, saying he held a roughly 50-minute meeting with Katsuragi and Morii and recognized the Rakuten officials' efforts to come up with concrete solutions in a short period of time.

Tsai said he emphasized Rakuten's commitment to continued investment in its CPBL franchise and to ensuring the well-being of Taiwan's professional players, adding that the league will keep tabs on the franchise's improvements.