Joshiro Maruyama, twice a world champion in the men's 66kg category, has formally moved to Switzerland with his family. By September 2026 Maruyama had announced the move on his wife Kurumi's YouTube channel. According to Maruyama himself, work was the main reason behind the decision, and the family had already begun living in Switzerland from April 2026. After obtaining a visa, the move became formal for the whole family, and he now works in judo coaching from a base in western Switzerland.
Joshiro Maruyama announces the family's move to Switzerland
Daily Sports reported on 5 September 2026 that Maruyama appeared with his wife Kurumi on YouTube and made clear the family would move to Switzerland.
In the video, Maruyama explained that work was behind the decision to move to Switzerland. The family had been living locally since April 2026, and later obtained a visa. After the paperwork, Switzerland became their formal base of life.
Maruyama announced his retirement in February 2025. In the year after his competitive career ended, the centre of his activity shifted from Japan to Switzerland.
Why did Joshiro Maruyama move to Switzerland?
The direct reason that can be confirmed from published information is Maruyama's own work.
École Mont-Olivet, in Vich in the Swiss canton of Vaud, announced in March 2026 that Maruyama was joining the school as a judo teacher, and would also coach at the attached Mont-Olivet Judo Club.
At École Mont-Olivet, judo is not treated as a mere extracurricular sport but as part of education. According to the school, judo was brought into the sports programme in September 2022 and runs under a long-term partnership with the Swiss Judo and Ju-Jitsu Federation.
Maruyama's role centres on teaching judo to the school's pupils and coaching at Mont-Olivet Judo Club. He now uses the experience of two world titles to help children acquire technique and grow as people.
How the move to Switzerland came about
Maruyama's move to Switzerland did not begin with the September 2026 announcement. His work and life there were already under way months earlier.
February 2025 — announces retirement
Maruyama announced the end of his competitive career in February 2025.
He won the world title in the men's 66kg category in 2019 and 2021, and took silver at the 2022 and 2023 world championships. He is also known for a fierce contest with Hifumi Abe for the Tokyo Olympic place, and for the selection play-off held at the Kodokan in December 2020.
March 2026 — École Mont-Olivet announces the appointment
École Mont-Olivet formally announced in March 2026 that it was bringing in Maruyama as a judo teacher. It also made clear he would coach at Mont-Olivet Judo Club.
April 2026 — life in Switzerland begins
According to Maruyama himself, the family began living in Switzerland from April 2026. The base of his work and daily life had thus already shifted there before the move was announced.
August 2026 — a masterclass at the school
On 26 August, Maruyama led a masterclass for pupils at École Mont-Olivet. International Judo Federation (IJF) President Marius Vizer and Swiss Judo and Ju-Jitsu Federation President Sergei Aschwanden also visited the school.
In an article on 30 August, the IJF described Maruyama as basing his life in Switzerland with his family and taking a central role in École Mont-Olivet's educational project.
September 2026 — the family's formal move is announced
After obtaining a visa, Maruyama and his wife formally announced the family's move to Switzerland on YouTube. Japanese media also covered it widely from 5 September.
What is Joshiro Maruyama doing now?
Maruyama currently works as a judo teacher at École Mont-Olivet and as a coach at Mont-Olivet Judo Club.
The club is open to children from outside the school as well as its pupils, and for 2026-27 it offers classes that children can join from the age of five. Maruyama has experience of facing world-class competitors, but those he teaches now include children who have only just started judo.
The IJF has highlighted that Maruyama not only teaches technique at the school but is involved in education through judo itself. In the programme École Mont-Olivet sets out, values such as respect, self-control, effort and personal growth sit at the centre of judo education.
Learning French locally
Maruyama lives in western Switzerland, close to the French border. He is currently working on learning French.
He says he can now handle simple everyday expressions, and that while teaching local children judo, he sometimes learns French from the children instead.
On daily life, he describes Switzerland as "very easy to live in". He notes that habits differ from Japan, and that he has gradually grown used to an environment where many shops do not open on Sundays. At weekends the family sometimes goes to flea markets, and he has spoken about the beauty of the streets and the richness of nature.
More judo coaching in Switzerland planned for autumn 2026
Maruyama's work locally will continue.
According to École Mont-Olivet, Maruyama is scheduled to take part as a coach at the "AKI Judo Camp" held in Fiesch from 19 to 24 October 2026. Alongside Sergei Aschwanden, Beijing Olympic bronze medallist and current president of the Swiss Judo and Ju-Jitsu Federation, and Japanese coach Hiroshi Katanishi, he will handle technical and tactical instruction.
Beyond day-to-day teaching at the school, opportunities to encounter Maruyama's judo in Switzerland are growing through camps and masterclasses.
His relationship with judo continues after retirement
For Maruyama's new role at the Lausanne Grand Slam, see this report.
Maruyama has retired and does not currently compete internationally as an athlete.
Known around the world for what he achieved as world champion in 2019 and 2021, for the contest with Hifumi Abe and for his uchi-mata, Maruyama now puts that experience to use in coaching.
At the first École Mont-Olivet Lausanne Grand Slam, held in Switzerland in August 2026, Maruyama also appeared at event-related activities and in judo education settings. Looking at his activity since moving to Switzerland, school education, club coaching and seminars are now his main pillars.
Summary | Joshiro Maruyama now coaches judo in Switzerland
Joshiro Maruyama formally moved to Switzerland with his family in 2026. The main reason he gave was work, and he had been living locally since April. He now teaches children as a judo teacher at École Mont-Olivet and a coach at Mont-Olivet Judo Club.
Since retiring in February 2025 he has not left judo, and now passes on the technique and experience built up as a world champion in Switzerland's educational setting.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Joshiro Maruyama move to Switzerland?
Maruyama explained that work led him to decide on the move. He now works as a judo teacher at École Mont-Olivet and as a coach at Mont-Olivet Judo Club.
Since when has Joshiro Maruyama lived in Switzerland?
According to Maruyama himself, he began living in Switzerland in April 2026. He later obtained a visa and announced the family's formal move.
What is Joshiro Maruyama doing now?
He works as a judo teacher at École Mont-Olivet in the Swiss canton of Vaud, and also coaches at Mont-Olivet Judo Club. Beyond teaching at the school, he takes part in masterclasses and judo camps.
Is Joshiro Maruyama still a judo athlete?
Maruyama announced his retirement in February 2025 and is no longer a competitor. His main work is judo coaching and education.
Sources
Daily Sports — Maruyama announces the family's move to Switzerland, 5 September 2026
https://origin.daily.co.jp/general/2026/09/05/0020788082.shtml
École Mont-Olivet — announcement of Maruyama's appointment, March 2026
https://ecolemontolivet.ch/evenements/
Mont-Olivet Judo Club — club and class information
https://ecolemontolivet.ch/judo/
International Judo Federation — The Quiet Art of Passing Judo On, 30 August 2026
https://www.ijf.org/news/show/the-quiet-art-of-passing-judo-on
IJF Schools — Where Education and Judo Grow Together, 26 August 2026
https://schools.ijf.org/be-inspired/show/where-education-and-judo-grow-together
École Mont-Olivet — AKI Judo Camp 2026