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| current director of the Japanese national soccer team Masakuni Yamamoto, who was appointed as the new technical chairman of the Japan Football Association. Source =Sponichi SNS Capture |
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The Japan Football Association (JFA) has appointed Masakuni Yamamoto, director of the national soccer team, to replace Masakuni Kashiyama, former chairman of the association's technical committee, who was convicted of child pornography.
The JFA announced on the 20th that Yamamoto was appointed to replace former technical chairman Kagiyama, who was dismissed due to the scandal on the 7th. Yamamoto, the new chairman of the technical committee, will also serve as the head of the national team.
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, he said, `I have been striving to strengthen the national team as the head of the national team. In the future, I want to overcome this difficult situation with the excellent chairmen of the six subcommittees as the chairman of the technical committee."
Former Chairman Kagiyama was arrested in Paris, France on the 2nd on charges of bringing in and possessing child pornography. He is accused of watching child pornography on board a flight through Paris to attend the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile in 2025. A flight attendant witnessed it and reported it to French police, and he was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
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| Masanaga, former chairman of the technical committee of the Japan Football Association. Photo =Twitter Capture |
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Former Chairman Kagiyama explained that 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) photographs', but in France, the production and possession of child pornography is prohibited regardless of AI or animation. He was found to have watched 1,621 child pornographic videos from June 2022 to October 2025, shocking the Japanese soccer community.
Former chairman Kashiyama was eventually sentenced to 18 months in prison, three years of probation, and a fine of 5,000 euros (about 8.2 million won) in a summary trial near Paris on the 6th. He was also punished for 10 years of entry into French territory, 10 years of prohibition on minors-related activities, and mandatory registration of sex offenders.
JFA President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said after the A-match friendly against Paraguay held in his country on the 10th, `I would like to apologize for causing concern to many soccer officials. This incident is absolutely unacceptable," he said, adding that former chairman Kagiyama said in a phone call that 'I'm sorry'
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
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Former chairman Kagiyama was a defender who played for Jeff United and the Urawa Reds, and retired and served as the Macau national team, Singapore U-16 national team, Faziano Okayama, and Japan's U-20 national team coach. At the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland, he was the head of Japan when he met South Korea, led by current coach Chung Jeong-yong, in the round of 16 and lost 0-1.
Former chairman Kagiyama, who took office as technical chairman last year, said, "Korea's soccer level has fallen too much after Korea's shock defeat by Indonesia at the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in April last year." On the other hand, it is well known that he made absurd remarks, saying, "Let's make him a teacher."
Yamamoto was a former Japanese national defender who played in the 1980s and served as coach of Japan's U-20 and U-23 national teams and J-League club Jubilo Iwata. In 2023, he became the director of the national team and formed a relationship with JFA.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
