On 24 March, the fourth board meeting of the Japan Football Association (JFA) was held and the reappointment of President TASHIMA Kohzo was formally approved. Vice-President and J. League Chairman MURAI Mitsuru was also reappointed, while Secretary-General IWAGAMI Kazumichi was named as Vice-President, and SUHARA Kiyotaka was newly appointed as the Senior Member of Executive Committee.

Another Vice-President will be named after the 47 Prefectural Representatives’ meeting. For the time being, the President of the Tottori Prefecture Football Association, IKEDA Yoji will serve as the observer. The JFA will continue its search for the vacant seat for the Female Vice-President as well.

Six out of the nine directors (MORI Akira/ Tohoku, TANAKA Atsushi/ Hokushinetsu, FUJITA Kazutoyo/ TOKAI, MAEDA Koichi/ Kansai, MUNEMASA Junichiro/ Chugoku, FUJITA Katsumi/ Shikoku) elected from the reginal football associations were newly appointed into the Member of Executive Committee, while the former coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) SASAKI Norio and former Japan Women's National Team player TEZUKA Takako were also among the newly appointed members. Lawyer, NISHIMOTO Tsuyoshi was named as the new Auditor.

The members of the Juridical Bodies (Disciplinary Committee, Ethics and Mediatory Committee, and Ethics and Mediatory Committee) that function in complete independence from the JFA, were also appointed. Lawyer TAKAYAMA Takahiko, referee instructor ONO Tatsumi, and the Yamaguchi Football Association Disciplinary Committee Chairman OSHITA Kunitada were appointed as new members of the Disciplinary Committee. Lawyer YAMADA Hideo joined the Ethics and Mediatory Committee, and two ex-professional football players YASO Yuji and ISHIKAWA Naohiro listed their names in the Appeal Committee.

Former Vice-Presidents OKADA Takeshi and AKASU Yotaro, former Senior Member of Executive Committee OKAJIMA Masaaki will now serve as Councilors, while MABUCHI Akiko, who served as Vice-President from 2014 was named as an Advisor. KAWABUCHI Saburo who was named Supreme Advisor in 2012, was newly appointed as the Executive Advisor.

An inaugural press conference was held after the board meeting, as President Tashima spoke to the press, “we have done all we can in the past two years, but we are now facing more things to take care of.” As the head of JFA, Mr. Tashima went onto stating that the JFA must start from making a deep run at the FIFA World Cup, while both men’s and women’s team are expected to excel at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and that their legacies must be utilised for the overall growth. With the JFA facing reduced enrollments, he mentioned the need to implement a new enrollment programme. He then continued to point out the need to improve the overall structure of women’s football, and the implementation of a new marketing strategy. Entering his second term, the president spoke of his aspirations as: “I will work closely with the board members under the new remine and give all I have towards the overall development of Japanese football.

For more information on the Executive Committee