体坛英语新闻：Japan judo chiefs resign en masse following numerous scandals

TOKYO, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-three directors of the All Japan Judo Federation resigned en masse to account for a number of scandals following pressure from the Cabinet office for the sport to clean up its image ahead of Japan's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

According to local media reports Thursday, the President of the federation, Haruki Uemura, and three auditors were among the directors and executives who have handed in their notice.

The Yoimuri Shimbun reported Thursday that at a meeting held at the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, the board of directors compiled a list of some 20 candidates to replace the now vacant positions.

Uemura, 62, and other top executives stepped down following the Cabinet Office ordering the federation to make wholesale changes at its executive level to account for a series of scandals that have plagued the sport and tainted Japan's image ahead of its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

In January it came to light that the former head coach of the women's team, Ryuji Sonoda, used violence and threatening language against athletes at a training camp, before the London Olympics.

Adding to the tainted image of the sport both here and overseas, the Tokyo District Court in February sentenced two-time Olympic judo champion Masato Uchishiba to five years in prison for raping a college student.

Uchishiba was first indicted for raping the teenager at a Hotel in Tokyo in September 2011.

The victim was a member of a women's university judo club and had allegedly been drinking with Uchishiba and other members when the attack occurred and claimed Uchishiba assaulted her while she was asleep.

Uchishiba started coaching at the Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare in Kumamoto Prefecture in April 2010. He was, however, fired following claims of sexual harassment in November 2011.

Further bringing the sport into disrepute, it was revealed in April that the federation had been misusing official funds, adding pressure on Uemura to step down.

The federation has appointed Shoji Muneoka, chairman and chief executive officer of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp., as its new chairman and Yasuhiro Chikaishi, 64, former chief of the Osaka prefectural police and current adviser at Toyota Motor Corp., will serve as one of the federation's senior director.

The judo federation will hold the first meeting of its reform committee immediately after the new leadership is officially in place to discuss reform of the board of trustees, the Yoimuri reported.

Judo became an official Olympic sport at the 1964 Tokyo Games, yet Muneoka is the first president of the judo federation who is neither a descendant of Jigoro Kano, the founder of the martial art, nor an Olympic medal holder.