A senior Japan Football Association official, Masanaga Kageyama, has received an 18-month suspended jail sentence in France after he was caught viewing images showing child sexual abuse on a plane.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, Kageyama, who serves as the JFA’s technical director, was detained during a stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. He admitted to viewing the images but claimed he was unaware it was illegal in France.
He was reportedly on his way to the Under-20 World Cup in Chile when the incident occurred.
The French prosecutor’s office said flight crew members alerted authorities after spotting Kageyama viewing the images on his laptop in the business class cabin of an Air France flight. When confronted, he allegedly claimed the photos were “art” and AI-generated.
On Monday, the French court handed the 58-year-old a suspended sentence, a fine of 5,000 euros, and a 10-year ban from working with minors or entering France.
The JFA has since terminated Kageyama’s contract, describing his actions as unacceptable.
“This incident is unacceptable to the football world,” JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said in a statement on Tuesday. “Although we have been working on this issue, we will use this as an opportunity to reexamine and strengthen governance and compliance in football.”
Kageyama, a former professional footballer who retired in 1996, has previously managed football teams in Japan, Macau, and Singapore.
