Bending norms: Japan's first woman to referee a top men's J-League football match

Japanese football referee Yoshimi Yamashita has made history as the first woman to officiate at a top division match in the country’s J-League. The encounter in the men’s league took place in the capital Tokyo on September 18, 2022. Yamashita is also among the first three female referees who will officiate on football’s biggest stage, the 2022 Fifa World Cup, which will take place in Qatar from November 20.