President's Diary RSS

June 30, 2026 When a young hopeful aiming to become a professional wrestler first steps into the dojo, the very first thing they do is foundational conditioning—squats, push-ups, and the like. ...However, once they push past that initial phase, their training in "Ukemi" (the art of taking a bump) begins. How do you minimize the damage to your body when you are slammed flat onto the canvas? You repeat that technique thousands, even tens of thousands of times over the course of your career. At a glance, it might seem incredibly plain and unglamorous. Yet, I believe that this act...

June 22, 2026 There is a wrestler out there right now who I look at and genuinely think, "Man, he is so damn cool." Can you guess who it is? What? No way, you think it's Kosei Fujita? Come on, there's no way the answer would be that painfully obvious, right in the dead-center of what everyone is already thinking... Well, you got it. That’s exactly who it is. Fujita is just so incredibly cool (stating the obvious here). He has this edgy, sharp aura that completely refuses to pander to anyone. A bit of a bad boy vibe, you...

July 2, 2026 I have safely returned to Japan from America. The moment I step off the plane and breathe the Japanese air deep into my lungs, a soothing sense of relief wells up inside me, telling me, "I'm finally home." However, my brain is still operating at full throttle, buzzing with all the stimulation and fresh inspiration I absorbed during this tour. Up until now, I’ve traveled overseas countless times to compete in matches. Stepping into a foreign ring and sharing that raw heat and excitement with the local fans through the universal language of professional wrestling—it’s the absolute...

July 1, 2026 The President’s Diary: Tanahashi Hiroshi's Hare nochi Hare (Fair then Fair), which is serialized on the New Japan Pro-Wrestling smartphone site, has officially reached its monumental 100th milestone entry! Since stepping into the President’s office in December 2023, I had been sprinting forward utilizing a "dual-wielding" approach—balancing my duties inside the ring and inside the management office. However, at the Tokyo Dome event on January 4, 2026, I pulled down the curtain on my stormy, action-packed 26-year active wrestling career, burning myself out completely to the very last spark. Currently, I am pouring 100% of my passion...

June 26, 2026 The "YOH Game"—the recent match held to determine the next number one challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Emerging victorious from that fierce, chaotic battle between four top-tier competitors was none other than Francisco Akira. With this, the title match for the July 6th Korakuen Hall event has been officially locked in: Champion YOH vs. Challenger Akira. Ever since the preview matches, massive brawls involving the championship belt have been erupting. The excitement surrounding the junior division is exploding at an intense rate—or rather, it seems to be exploding in a slightly suspicious direction. Now, the...

June 25, 2026 Every morning, I arrive at the office and check my emails. I also make it a point to read through every single fan message sent to our smartphone site. Right now, this has become a massive source of vitality for me. Now, regarding the recent June 23rd Korakuen Hall event. The ferocious, tremendous heat from the fans was vibrating directly through me. Especially surrounding this G1 Entry Tournament, I’m sure the hearts of all the fans were heavily shaken. Through the fan mail, I received a mountain of incredibly passionate, earnest voices saying things like, "I really...

June 24, 2026 The tournament with spots in the "G1 CLIMAX 36" on the line. Wolf Aaron's very first entry into the G1 has been made official. I was genuinely blown away by that inherent aura of a true powerhouse he possesses, as well as the sheer potential he displayed on this day. However, as I watched that entire bout play out, my eyes were completely glued to the "other man" in the ring. Yes—YOSHI-HASHI. He stood as a towering wall right in front of Wolf, dragging out the inner "monster as a professional wrestler" from within him to the...

June 23, 2026 It has been half a year since I became the full-time President. I want to attend as many events as I possibly can. However, when you go to the office from Monday to Friday and then head straight to the match venues on Saturday and Sunday... wa... wait, I have absolutely no days off, do I?! Well, I don't get tired, so I'm completely fine, though (laughs). To be honest, what I actually do when I arrive at a venue isn't set in stone each time. Because I have a deep-seated habit of believing that "work is...

June 12, 2026 On a certain day. A press conference to announce the full match card for the June 14th Osaka-jo Hall event—the absolute climax of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's first half of the year—was just around the corner. It is an incredibly crucial mission to take the blazing heat generated at Ota City General Gymnasium and carry it straight into Osaka-jo Hall. However, there is another towering wall standing in my way. It’s a flaw that I’m sure every single one of you fans is well aware of: my "enunciation" problem. Ever since the old days, I have been truly...

June 19, 2026 The day after the Osaka-jo Hall event, I stepped off the train at Kyoto Station. Traveling by Shinkansen, it’s just one stop away from Shin-Osaka. Upon arriving at Kyoto Station, I checked the address the staff had provided me. Let’s see... a 5-minute walk from the station. I was incredibly relieved it was so close. Kyoto is the place where I spent four years of my university life. If time had permitted, I would have loved to visit Senbon Imadegawa, where I used to live by myself, or the Kinugasa Campus of my alma mater, Ritsumeikan University....