She becomes the first woman to lead the men's judo squad in Brazil. 

Fujii, who has previously worked for the British Judo Association, has worked for the Brazilian team since 2012 as an assistant coach.

CBJ President President Silvio Acácio Borges called her appointment "a milestone".

"Man or woman, the most important thing for us is the skill," he said.

"Yuko has everything to do a great job."

The CBJ's high performance manager Ney Wilson Pereira said Fujii already knows the Brazilian team very well, having worked with them during the last Olympic cycle. 

"She is fully prepared to take on this challenge," Pereira said. 

Fujii will work alongside coordinator Luiz Shinohara in her new role.

The first major event on the schedule will be the World Championships from September 20 to 27.

Fujii herself called the appointment "a great responsibility." 

"We have strong and dedicated judoka," she said.

"I would like to thank the trust of the Brazilian Judo Federation, the Brazilian Olympic Committee and of all the athletes."

Brazil will be among the countries in action at the next International Judo Federation (IJF) World Judo event in Zagreb from July 27 to 29.