TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's football authorities said on Tuesday they were sacking national coach Javier Aguirre, who is embroiled in match-fixing claims relating to a previous post in Spain.

"We came to think that we must avoid risks that these things affect the World Cup Asia qualifiers," Japan Football Association president Kuniya Daini told a nationally televised press conference.

"We have reached the decision to terminate the contract with coach Aguirre at this time."

Aguirre, who only signed on the dotted line with the Blue Samurai last year, has been under a cloud since claims emerged that he had been involved in fixing results when he was manager of Spanish side Zaragoza in 2011.

The 56-year-old took over in Japan after the World Cup with a record salary for a coach of the national team, earning an estimated US$2.45 (S$3.31 million) a year.

However, his side disappointed in the Asian Cup, flopping out of the competition in the quarter-finals.