The announcers said that the game didn't matter. I don't think Naniwa was trying to win, just get the game over with.
If I understand the article correctly the verdict would have been different if he had won the match or at least an interesting fight had resulted. So, I'd guess that if an AI plays this strategy well enough (somehow) it would not be a problem.
Yeah I remember that. That was just seen as him throwing the game, not a sincere attempt to win. He had a reputation for throwing temper tantrums.