Teen's death raises sumo safety concerns

TOKYO, March 10 (UPI) -- The death of a 17-year-old sumo wrestler has raised concerns in Japan about the sport's standard harsh training practices.

Violent training techniques went public after teen sumo wrestler, Takashi Saito, died as a result of receiving several cigarette burns along with blows from a metal baseball bat and beer bottles, The Washington Post reported Monday.

"That this happened in sumo, the national sport and symbol of Japan, is a serious matter," Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said.

The Japan Sumo Association said on March 4, eight months after the death of Satio, that it would ban three men, who are accused of beating the teen, from professional sumo wrestling if they were convicted.

After Satio's death, the Japan Sumo Association found in a survey of 53 training camps that more than 90 percent implemented the use of baseball bats or similar devices during training.