Is the North-South choke legal in Judo?

Question

From a kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame position one can apply the North-South choke.

This can be finished with the arm in the hold (as in an arm-triangle position), but I have most often seen it demonstrated in BJJ without the arm.^{2 3 4}

Is this choke legal in Judo? Or does it fall afoul of the prohibition against pins which do not trap an arm when controlling the head?¹

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1. ^{It is never allowed to hold an osaekomi just around the head/neck without control of at least one arm.
    • Sport and Organisation Rules of the IJF (Article 17)}

Answer 1

I am only a low-level referee, but here is my best interpretation of the rules for this choke.

I would call this version legal. Although uke's left arm is separated from uke's head, tori has control of uke's left shoulder and arm, either with an overhook or underhook grip.

I would call this version illegal. This version actively isolates pressure only on the neck area. Tori is actively disengaging from uke's left arm. I have not studied this choke and do not understand the instructor's preference for giving up control of uke's left arm. If instead tori overhooks left uke's arm and moves into this same relative body position, I would call this legal.