🔗 Share this article Japan Soccer Executive Convicted for Viewing Child Abuse Content on Flight Masanaga Kageyama was handed a suspended prison term and prohibited from the country for 10 years A prominent representative from the Japanese soccer governing body has received an 18-month suspended prison sentence in France after getting discovered looking at material that show child sex abuse while traveling on an flight. Technical director Masanaga Kageyama was detained last week during a stopover at Paris's main airport, as reported by court documents, which noted that he eventually acknowledged to viewing the images, stating he was had no idea it was against the law in France. He was believed to have been headed for the Under-20 World Cup in Chile. The football association announced that his employment agreement would be canceled with immediate action, adding that the incident was "unacceptable behavior to the sports industry". Legal Proceedings The legal authorities told journalists that the airline personnel had alerted authorities after they noticed Kageyama looking at the inappropriate material on the flight. He had been using his computer in a business class cabin of an commercial aircraft, and when confronted he had stated that the photos were "art" and computer-generated, based on legal documents. Verdict On the beginning of the week, the court convicted the man in his late fifties to a suspended prison sentence and a monetary sanction of €5,000 - in addition to a ten-year restriction on working with minors or entering the country. Institutional Reaction In a official communication, the sports organization issued an apology for the "concern" the situation had created. "This event is unacceptable behavior to the sports industry," association president stated. "While we have been dealing with this matter, we will take this opportunity as an chance to review the governance and compliance system of the soccer industry and to thoroughly strengthen and better it." Professional Background Kageyama is a ex-player who ended his playing career in the mid-1990s before transitioning to a official to national soccer teams. He also did stints coaching teams in the special administrative region and Singapore.