The Japan Volleyball Association said Thursday that Shoichi Yanagimoto will remain as manager of the women's national team despite his earlier decision to step down.
Yanagimoto has accepted an offer by the association to stay in the post following lengthy negotiations held after he disagreed with the JVA over the policy of building up the national team.
Terms of a new contract for the 53-year-old were not immediately known. The JVA and Yanagimoto will continue efforts to close the gap between them in a bid for a podium finish at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, following his team's fifth-place performance at the Athens Olympics this past summer.
After his return from Athens, Yanagimoto's future was said to have been put on hold while the JVA placed priority on selecting the new manager of the men's national team, adding to his frustration.