France Convicts Japanese Football Official for Viewing Child Pornography Mid-Flight

A French court has convicted Masanaga Kageyama, a top Japanese football administrator, for viewing child pornography during an international flight, handing him an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a €5,000 fine.

Kageyama, 58, who serves as the technical director of the Japan Football Association (JFA), was arrested during a stopover at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport last week while travelling to Chile for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

Authorities said the case came to light when Air France crew members noticed him watching explicit images of minors on his laptop and promptly alerted the police upon landing.

The prosecutor’s office in Bobigny, near Paris, confirmed the development on Tuesday.

“The plane’s crew discovered the material during the flight and immediately reported the passenger’s conduct,” the statement said.

The court also imposed strict restrictions on Kageyama, banning him from working with minors or entering France for the next ten years. His name will be added to the country’s national sex offenders’ register.

According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the images were discovered in the business-class cabin.

During his court appearance, Kageyama admitted to viewing them but claimed he did not know it was illegal in France.

He also told the court the pictures had been generated by artificial intelligence and expressed remorse for his actions.

He was detained through the weekend and released after his sentencing on Monday.

Kageyama, a former J-League footballer and youth coach, has been a key figure in Japan’s football development programmes, responsible for coaching education and talent grooming at national level.

The JFA has not yet issued a statement on the conviction.