TOKYO - Sachio Shimomura, a former manager of the Japan national football team who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, has died of old age, the Japan Football Association said Sunday. He was 94.
A former Japan goalkeeper, Shimomura became coach of Toyo Kogyo, now J.League first-division club Sanfrecce Hiroshima, in 1965 and guided them to five Japan Soccer League titles and three Emperor's Cup triumphs.
Shimomura managed the national team from 1979 to 1980.
Later in life, Shimomura, a native of Hiroshima who survived the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack, shared his experiences with students at his alma mater Shudo Junior High School.
