TOKYO: ormer sumo grand champion Harumafuji was charged Thursday for a brutal assault on a rival wrestler while out drinking in a scandal that has humiliated Japan's ancient sport, reports AFP. The Mongolian former "yokozuna", sumo's highest rank, however, faced a summary indictment, a spokesman with a local public prosecutors office told AFP, meaning he was expected to be fined but exempted from standing trial.
Prosecutors decided to impose the lighter penalty on him considering his retirement to take responsibility for the scandal, Jiji Press said. The indictment came nearly a month after he stepped down, apologising for the embarrassment caused by a violent outburst in October that left countryman Takanoiwa with a fractured skull. "I'm truly sorry for hurting Takanoiwa mentally and physically," Harumafuji told police, according to Jiji Press.