Yasuhiro Yamashita, the president of the Japan Judo Federation, is a former friend of Vladimir Putin with whom he shared his passion for judo. However, the two friends have not been since the start of the war in Ukraine. “President Putin is a judoka and his actions go against the spirit and purpose of judo. As a judoka, my deepest sadness and my thoughts are with the people of Ukraine as well as all judo lovers around the world,” he told Vice. He then said that the Russian president’s actions were “cowardly”.
In the past, Vladimir Putin had called Mr. Yamashita “a good man”. In a video dating from 2008, we can also see the two men compete on a tatami. An image that now belongs to the past, the International Judo Federation (IJF) having dismissed Vladimir Putin from all his functions within the body in early March.
