JAKARTA (AFP) - Four Japanese basketball players have been sent home from the Asian Games in disgrace for allegedly paying prostitutes for sex, following a 82-71 win over Qatar, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) said Monday.

The players were spotted in a notorious red light district of Jakarta in their national jerseys on Wednesday night, JOC officials told a press conference, saying the quartet had been sent packing immediately.

According to the Japan Times, the players left the athletes' village for a Japanese restaurant in a major entertainment district wearing their team uniforms following the game. After dinner, they were solicited by touts on the street to go to a nearby hotel with women.