“I will resign effective today,” the 78-year-old Yamane told reporters. “I made this decision after consulting with my wife, as I was asked by the board members [to decide whether to resign]. As chairman, I am sorry that these problems [involving the scandals] existed.”

At an extraordinary board meeting Tuesday, the federation left the decision whether to resign up to Yamane. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, however, he did not say whether he would remain in the federation as a board member.

In response to 12 specific allegations made by senior officials of prefectural federations, Yamane acknowledged his personal involvement in the mishandling of ¥2.4 million in subsidies provided by the Japan Sport Council to a boxer who competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

The funds were allegedly shared with two other boxers so the three would receive the same amount of grant money. Yamane has previously said that he ordered the the misappropriation.

The chairman has also admitted his relationship with a person involved in a boryokudan gangster organization, saying, “I hung around [with that person] due to certain circumstances.”

This comment was criticized by Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki. “It’s questionable for a sports organization to be chaired by a person who had shadowy relationships,” he said.

Yamane became chairman in 2011 after serving in such posts as chairman of the Nara prefectural federation and coaching the Japanese national boxing team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He had recently called himself “chairman for life.”