Japanese team CAG Osaka has formally announced its withdrawal from the Asia Pacific League 2025 – Stage 1: APAC North Playoffs, originally scheduled for Sunday, 20 July. The announcement follows the arrest of Rainbow Six Siege player Sho “BlackRay” Hasegawa, who is under investigation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police for his alleged involvement in a criminal case involving kidnapping and physical abuse.
In an official statement published in Japanese on 18 July, the organisation said:
“Notice of Withdrawal from the Tournament –
We hereby inform you that we will withdraw from the ‘Asia Pacific League 2025 – Stage 1: APAC North – Playoffs’ scheduled for Sunday, July 20.”
【大会出場辞退のお知らせ】
今週末7月20日(日)に予定されておりました
「Asia Pacific League 2025 – Stage 1: APAC North – Playoffs」
への出場を辞退することになりましたので、お知らせいたします。— CAG OSAKA (@CYCLOPS_OSAKA) July 18, 2025
The team was due to face PSG Talon in the lower bracket semifinals, but has opted not to participate further in the competition.
The withdrawal comes in response to serious allegations made against Hasegawa, who has played for CAG Osaka for six years. Japanese media outlet Jiji Press reported that he was arrested on 16 July alongside six other individuals. The group is accused of unlawfully confining and coercing a man over a period of several months.
Details published in the reports allege that the victim was subjected to extreme physical abuse, including the use of boiling water, blunt instruments, and other forms of violence, resulting in long-term injuries. The suspects also reportedly extorted a sum of approximately two million yen ($13,000) from the victim through threats and coercion.
The victim was reportedly found by authorities on 30 April, following a traffic accident in which one of the suspects was involved. The discovery marked the end of what has been described as months-long confinement.
The timeline presented by local news suggests that some of the alleged events may have occurred during Hasegawa’s international travel earlier this year, when he participated in the Six Invitational 2025 in Boston.
CAG Osaka has not issued any additional statements beyond confirming the team’s withdrawal from the competition. The organisation’s future actions regarding the case and the player’s status remain unclear as the investigation continues.
