- Japanese football official Masanaga Kageyama was arrested in France after being caught viewing child pornography on a flight.
- The French court sentenced him to an 18 month suspended jail term and fined him 5,000 euros.
- Kageyama, who claimed the images were AI-generated, is now banned from working with minors and entering France for 10 years.
- The Japanese Football Association official was on his way to Chile for the Under-20 World Cup when the incident occurred.
Japanese football official Masanaga Kageyama has been sentenced in France after being caught viewing child pornography during a flight to Chile.
The 58 year old, who serves as the Japan Football Association’s technical director, was handed an 18 month suspended jail term by a court in Bobigny, near Paris, along with a €5,000 fine.
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The incident took place aboard an Air France flight when cabin crew spotted Kageyama viewing illegal images on his laptop. The flight attendants immediately reported him, leading to his arrest during a stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
According to reports, Kageyama admitted to viewing the images but insisted they were AI-generated and claimed he was unaware that such material was illegal in France. Despite his explanation, the court found him guilty of possessing, recording, and importing pornographic images of minors under 15.
His sentence includes a 10 year ban from working with minors and from re-entering France. Kageyama will also be placed on the French national sex offenders’ register.
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Kageyama, a former J-League player and coach, was on his way to the Under-20 World Cup in Chile to represent Japan’s football program. He is responsible for developing coaching programs and improving national team performance.
