President's Diary RSS

June 18, 2026 The Osaka-jo Hall event has come to a close, and our next major series on the horizon is the "G1 CLIMAX." ...However, turning a blind eye during this down period between big series is strictly forbidden. You need to pay particularly close attention to the heavyweight wrestlers who are entered in the G1. Speaking from my own experience, the period right before a monumental tournament is the ultimate opportunity to skyrocket the fans' anticipation. Exactly how a wrestler chooses to build up that anticipation varies from person to person. Whether it's showing off a mindset of "Man,...

July 17, 2026 【Taking an opponent's move dead-on】 This is one of the pillars of resolve I’ve built up over my career as a wrestler. And this time, there was another thing I absolutely could not run away from. That was... a ramen-tasting shoot. Yay~♪ A ramen shoot! In other words, it was like landing a golden ticket—no, a full pardon—that said, "It is officially okay to eat ramen for work"♪ Being legally allowed to devour ramen♪ I mean, obviously it's always legal, but still! GO FOR BROKE! With a "hit it head-on" mindset, the day of the shoot finally...

June 16, 2026 I received a request from Dr. Takashi Fuke, the former ring doctor for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. "Let me double-check my schedule," I replied, but at that exact moment, I was right in the middle of a whirlwind of chaotic days. There was barely any open slot on my calendar. I told him I could manage if he didn't mind a date a little further out, and so it was set for Friday, June 8th. The host of this lecture was the Tokyo West Rotary Club. It is a gathering of members who are highly dedicated to social...

June 15, 2026 The Osaka-jo Hall event has come to a close. Every wrestler entered the ring with their own personal themes, and through their matches, I could truly feel their shared mindset: "I have to win my own position with my own two hands." If I were to dig deep and write about every single match, this entry would easily turn into about 100 million words, so please let me say—or rather, let me write about—just three specific things. First is Wolf. What I was watching wasn't his technique or anything like that; it was his facial expression. That’s...

June 11, 2026 June 3rd. A typhoon was approaching the Kanto region. Because the morning was expected to be the peak of its approach, an announcement was sent out via our internal Slack stating, "Check the situation around noon and do not overdo it when commuting to the office (summarized)." Pro-wrestling is an indoor sport, so it is rarely affected by the weather, but there are times when public transportation to the venue shuts down. Over my 26-year career as an active wrestler, an event was canceled due to a typhoon only once. I feel like it was an Oita...

June 9, 2026 Saturday, May 30th. New Japan Pro-Wrestling was holding an event in Takaoka, Toyama. The ongoing "BEST OF THE SUPER Jr." tournament is currently in its mid-stage. What are the wrestlers feeling right now? Speaking from experience, right before a series kicks off, it’s usually: "Wait, what?! Is the tour already starting?" Then, during the mid-stage, it becomes: "Yes! We're halfway through!" Once we enter the final stretch, the long bus rides combined with consecutive matches make the interior of the bus incredibly quiet. Fatigue accumulates in everyone (well, Tanahashi was always the exception). However, as you hit...

June 8, 2026 Yesterday, the finals of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s junior heavyweight festival, the "BEST OF THE SUPER Jr. 33," took place, and YOH—now in the 13th and a half year of his career—captured his very first tournament victory. His first singles title at the age of 37. While some might call him a late bloomer, YOH stated with absolute certainty, "It’s not that it took a long time; it’s that I took my time to get here." Man, that’s incredibly cool. I feel like this quote is packed with an essential truth that applies directly to business as well....

June 5, 2026 The other day, I had the privilege of hosting a "One-Day Store Manager" event at the Tokon Shop. I was so incredibly happy that so many of you came to visit. At the same time, however, I felt a lingering frustration that I could no longer give back to you through my matches... which led me to end up eating a ton at Hanamaru Udon. I hid the kakiage (tempura) underneath the broth and took a bite of the udon noodles♪ Kyaaaaah!!! Whenever I eat udon like this, I always think, "Soba is great, but man, udon...

June 3, 2026 　Since April of this year, I’ve been appearing as a bi-weekly Friday regular on ABC TV’s evening news program, "news okaeri." I’m in the studio as a panelist for about three hours, from 3:50 PM to 7:00 PM. Every single day, something happens in the world. I keep my brain running at full throttle to prepare so that I can instantly come up with comments tailored to whatever topics arise. I really should be reading the newspapers and watching the news on a regular basis... but it’s easier said than done. Quite a challenge. Karim Flam (as...

June 2, 2026 Traveling from Tokyo to Osaka, or heading to a big match venue in the countryside—even after becoming President, the time spent moving on the Shinkansen remains an essential, special time for me. Watching the window scenery rush past at 285 km/h, what I’m always thinking about is "New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s next big ideas" and "everyone’s smiles." I set my smartphone aside for a bit and open my notebook. The moderate running sound of the train combined with a private space where nobody strikes up a conversation makes me feel almost weightless, like I’ve dropped all the heavy...