The body that oversees judo in Japan, the All Japan Judo Federation, has faced successive scandals involving violent incidents and fatal accidents which have served to give rise to social criticisms of its coaching practices. In April 2013, the organization launched a Certified Judo Coaching Qualification System in order " to improve coaches' qualities and coaching ability, to enhance public trust in coaching practice, and to ensure coaches' status. " Conversely, another judo powerhouse, the Fédération Française de Judo, Jujitsu, Kendo et Disciplines Associées (FFJDA), had defined professional judo qualifications, thereby establishing a national coaching qualification system, in a national sports-related law enacted in 1955. Although the differences between the Japanese and French social systems preclude any simple comparison, a number of experts have recommended the FFJDA coaching qualification system as a model for Japan. In 2008, the FFJDA introduced a new qualification system comprising six stages, such as the Diplôme d'Etat de la Jeunesse, de l'Education Populaire et du Sport (DEJEPS), and established an even more thorough policy for coaching training. The FFJDA is home to a variety of approaches, including a rigorous national examination system that allows coaching trainees to take an examination after a long period of training, a tutorial system (tuteur), a reciprocal exchange system (dispositifs de formation en alternance) and a screening system that leads to trainee certification. This has resulted not only in zero fatal accidents among judoka,but also in increased enrollment in the sport as well as an improvement in competitive ability, as reflected in France's second-place ranking in judo at the 2012 London Olympics. The FFJDA system may thus serve as a useful case study for Japan, which is seeking to enhance its own coaching qualification system.