Gamba Osaka announced the dismissal of manager Tomohiro Katanosaka on Wednesday following a run of poor results that has left the club near the bottom of the J. League first division.
The former Asian champions are 17th in the 18-team J1 and face the possibility of relegation after a 2-0 loss to Shimizu S-Pulse on Sunday.
Assistant manager Hiroshi Matsuda, who previously held the top job at second-division V-Varen Nagasaki, will replace Katanosaka.
A former Gamba assistant, the 51-year-old Katanosaka took the reins at Panasonic Stadium this year after achieving strong results with Oita Trinita, who now play in the J2.
He steered the Kyushu club from the third division to the top flight before being relegated back to the second tier last season.
He struggled at the helm for Gamba, however, winning just once in the past 11 games. The team has managed just a 5-7-12 record in 24 league games this season and has been eliminated from both domestic cup tournaments.
In a statement from the club, Katanosaka apologized to fans for Gamba's lack of success on the pitch.
"I hoped to make Gamba strong again this season, building up the players and celebrating many victories together," he said.
"Unfortunately, because of my own shortcomings, I was not able to meet your expectations and could only produce disappointing results.
