A high-ranking official from the Japan Football Association (JFA) has been handed an 18-month suspended jail term by a French court after being caught viewing child sexual abuse images during a flight. Masanaga Kageyama, 58, the association’s technical director, was arrested last week during a stopover at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport while en route to Chile for the Under-20 World Cup. The incident came to light when flight crew members noticed Kageyama viewing the illicit material on his laptop in the business class cabin of an Air France flight. They promptly alerted authorities, leading to his arrest. The Bobigny court prosecutor’s office confirmed the charges, stating that Kageyama was convicted of importing, possessing, recording, or saving pornographic images of minors under 15. In addition to the suspended sentence, Kageyama was fined €5,000 ($5,830) and banned from working with minors for 10 years. He is also prohibited from entering France for the next decade and will be added to the French national sex offenders’ register. The JFA swiftly terminated his contract, expressing deep regret and apologizing for the incident. Kageyama, who claimed the images were AI-generated and stated he was unaware of their illegality in France, admitted to viewing the material during his court appearance. He was released after the hearing. Kageyama, a former professional J-League player and coach, had been instrumental in strengthening Japan’s football teams and nurturing young talent. His arrest has sent shockwaves through the football community, prompting calls for stricter compliance and ethical standards.