New Japan Pro Wrestling star Tama Tonga recently discussed Harold Meij leaving the company. Harold Meij was previously New Japan’s President before stepping down from his position over the next month. Meij had been in the role since May of 2018.

There’s been some controversy regarding Meij and the former members of the Elite group, who ventured out to create the All Elite Wrestling brand in the States.

Tony Khan recently spoke to Dave Meltzer for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and said he thinks Meij’s departure could be a positive development towards a working relationship between AEW and New Japan. “I’m not sure yet,” was Tony Khan’s reaction to the Wrestling Observer. “But my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”

Tama Tonga on Harold Meij

Tama Tonga would admit on his Tama’s Island podcast that he didn’t know about the departure until he read it online. “I haven’t heard much, I’ve just been keeping up with the news [online]. Whenever they’ve been putting up on the news site, on the website for New Japan. I’ve been really trying to keep up with them but other than that it’s just [nothing]…you know?”

• Rumour Killer On Potential Partnership Between AEW And NJPW

Tonga then praised Meij after stating that it’s just another departure in a long line of NJPW Presidents. “Since my time in New Japan? I’ve gone through so many presidents, you know? The changes happen and we keep moving forward. But Meij has been great with us, great president, great to deal with and work with. And all that but best of luck to whatever he’s got going on next.”

• Tony Khan Reacts To NJPW President Stepping Down

We could be getting a little closer to a partnership between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Harold Meij recently announced that he is stepping down as the President of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The news has led to some AEW fans believing that Meij’s departure could perhaps open the door for some type of relationship between the two promotions.

Tony Khan recently spoke to Dave Meltzer for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and said he thinks Meij’s departure could be a positive development towards a working relationship between the two organizations.

“I’m not sure yet,” was Tony Khan’s reaction to the Wrestling Observer. “But my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”

There were several references to NJPW made on last night’s edition of AEW Dynamite. The “Ace of New Japan” Hiroshi Tanahashi sent in a video congratulating Chris Jericho on his 30-years in wrestling. There were also references to NJPW matches involving Lance Archer and Jon Moxley on Dynamite.

Moxley and Archer will meet for the AEW World title on next week’s “1-Year Anniversary” edition of Dynamite. They faced each other at this year’s Wrestle Kingdom as well.

The references to NJPW on this week’s Dynamite led to much speculation from fans but Dave Meltzer noted they likely have nothing to do with a potential relationship between the two promotions.

The parent company of New Japan Pro Wrestling and Stardom, Bushiroad, will be implementing salary reductions for several of their executives. NJPW has not run a live event since February 26th, 2020.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, directors from Bushiroad will be taking pay cuts ranging from 15% to 95% depending on the person. These pay cuts will be in place from May 27th until September 2020. As of this writing, Bushiroad has not released any wrestlers from NJPW or Stardom.

In addition to pro-wrestling, Bushiroad also produces trading card games and smartphone apps.

Harold Meij On NJPW’s Return To Live Events

Harold Meij addressed NJPW’s roadmap to the return of live events recently in a YouTube video.

“New Japan is an industry leader both in Japan and worldwide,” Meij said. “With that position comes a great responsibility. As the global society holds a magnifying glass up to us, it behooves New Japan to act to the highest possible ethical standards.”

He continued to say that the promotion’s first step would be to run empty-arena show.

“This step will be taken when and only when the state of emergency restrictions are lifted, the number of new coronavirus infections declines and when matches can take place in a properly disinfected and safe setting.”

• NJPW Provides Roadmap To Live Events Returning

The full video of Harold Meij’s address can be viewed below:

New Japan Pro Wrestling has not produced a live event since February 26th, 2020. The New Japan Cup, Wrestling Dontaku, and the Best of the Super Juniors tournament have been canceled.

NJPW President Harold Meij recently updated fans on the company’s roadmap to returning to live events. Meij stated 3 reasons why the company has not produced “empty-arena” shows.

“The first and foremost reason has been to protect the health and safety of our wrestlers and staff,” Meij said.

“Data has clearly shown high-levels of infection within cities like Tokyo. Therefore we believe to stage events, even empty-arenas, involves a level of unnecessary risk.”

Meij then noted the second reason why they don’t run empty arena shows is due to unavailability of the venues.

“As the pandemic has escalated, these venues have closed their doors even to empty-arena presentations.”

Meij then stated the 3rd reason they have not produced events during the pandemic is NJPW’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

“New Japan is an industry leader both in Japan and worldwide,” Meij continued. “With that position comes a great responsibility. As the global society holds a magnifying glass up to us, it behooves New Japan to act to the highest possible ethical standards.”

• NJPW Best Bout Collection (2016-2019) Airing On FITE This Weekend

NJPW’s Roadmap to Return

Meij also mentioned the steps NJPW will take in order to return to producing live events. The first step will be to produce empty-arena shows when it is safe to do so.

“This step will be taken when and only when the state of emergency restrictions are lifted, the number of new coronavirus infections declines and when matches can take place in a properly disinfected and safe setting.”

He then noted that matches would then take place both in Japan and at the LA Dojo.

Meij then said the next step would be to allow fans back to the shows under certain conditions. Temperature checks and masks would be mandatory for fans attending. Wrestlers and staff would undergo rigorous testing and venues would be properly disinfected, spaces left between seats and there will be increased ventilation.

The video featuring NJPW President Harold Meij can be viewed below:

New Japan Pro-Wrestling President Harold Meij has written an open letter to fans regarding event cancellations. Like several other wrestling promotions, NJPW has been forced to reschedule and cancel a number of events. This was done due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, New Japan’s Road to Dontaku tour was canceled, prompting Meij to connect with the NJPW fanbase.

Meij highlighted how their recent 12 cancellations from April 19 to May 4 join previously canceled events dating back to March 1. He revealed that the promotion is monitoring the situation closely regarding events scheduled from May 4 onwards.

He shared how the promotion has been taking the global situation “very seriously from an early stage.”

According to Harold Meij, 90% of their employees are currently working from home as they do all they can to help stop the spread of COVID-19. “We, like you, are disappointed and frustrated at not being able to present the best professional wrestling on the planet on a live basis at the current moment in time.”

Harold Meij Thanks The Fans

Harold Meij urged fans to do what they can to prevent the further spread of the disease. He noted how, unless you are in essential work, you should stay home and enjoy entertainment via NJPW World. He thanked the fans for their support and stressed that “we will get through this together.”

Meij added how the fighting spirit of NJPW is something that can overcome any opposition and that he looks forward to the day they can begin delivering shows once more.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling acted quickly as the coronavirus pandemic first started taking hold. The promotion cancelled their annual New Japan Cup tournament in order to help protect their fans and talent. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, NJPW President Harold Meij discussed how he intends to help get business back to normal.

“The Coronavirus has impacted the entire world,” Meij said. “However, throughout our 50-year history we have experienced and overcome numerous crises, not only emerging stronger as an organization, but also as a good social beacon bringing hope and excitement worldwide. NJPW sincerely believes professional wrestling will once again unite us all very soon, sharing our passion for wrestling together.”

Harold Meij On NJPW’s Alternative Content

Harold Meij reiterated how all New Japan events have been cancelled up to and including their March 21 show. He noted how eagerly everyone involved wants to get back to “business as usual.” According to Meij, NJPW officials are actively working towards that ambition. He acknowledged that the continuous situation is “fluid” and so they have to act responsibly with every decision.

“The Coronavirus has dramatically affected how sports and events-based businesses worldwide are able to operate,” Meij continued. “Being the biggest professional wrestling organization in Japan put a spotlight upon us and gave us a significant social responsibility. It has been our duty to not just act in the best interests of our fans, wrestlers and staff, but of society at large.”

In the wake of the New Japan Cup cancellation, the promotion has attempted to deliver alternative content to fans worldwide. NJPW has been releasing videos for their NJPW Together Project via NJPW World. The videos bring stars together to talk, entertain and provide wrestle commentary over matches.

NJPW President Harold Meij recently sat down with Fox Sports Australia. During the conversation, Meij spoke about a possible future relationship between his New Japan Pro Wrestling and the upstart All Elite Wrestling league.

Meij did not rule out the possibility of the two wrestling promotions working together someday. “We’re very open to working with anyone, we don’t exclude anyone. But it does take time to create that trust between companies,” Meij said.

“And right now AEW is still in the exploratory phase; they’re trying to establish themselves as a brand, what is that brand?” he asked. “They’re about one year in, and we’re starting to see what their brand is all about. Then we’ll have to see if that brand fits our brand of course.”

Meij would continue to say that as of right now, the AEW style is different than NJPW’s.

“At this stage, they still have different styles than we do, and that’s the only thing. We’re looking at what their brand positioning is and whether it complements ours.”

NJPW’s Relationship With Ring of Honor

According to comments Meij made during this interview, the relationship between ROH and NJPW is still strong. He was asked if the newly formed New Japan of America promotion will hurt their alliance with ROH.

“I actually think it complements a lot of the relationships that we have, especially with ROH for example,” Meij responded. “As we do these shows and more fans fall in love with our product, as we do more joint matches with ROH – whether ROH comes to us or we go to them – the value of the total package increases. They would see that our wrestlers are very good and so are the ROH ones.”

When asked if ROH and NJPW will continue to share talent, Meij stated that they would.

“Oh yes. We’re here for the long run with partners that we tie up with.”

The full interview can be read here.

Kenny Omega reportedly experienced difficulty entering Japan recently when he traveled to the country ahead of DDT’s Ultimate Party 2019 on November 3rd. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Omega has had difficulty entering the country ever since leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling.

“When Kenny Omega went to Japan for the DDT show, he was stopped going into the country. It’s the third time this has happened since he left New Japan. Something happened where there was an attempt to get him banned from going to Japan for ten years,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the latest issue of the Newsletter.

NJPW President Harold Meij was recently interviewed for NJPW1972.com and stressed his company would have no ability to prevent Omega from entering the country. Below is a Google Translate (i.e it’s not perfect) version of Meij’s comments.

“There were some unbelievable rumors that New Japan Pro-Wrestling tried to prevent Kenny Omega from entering Japan, but there was no reason why a company could do that. I don’t want to do that.”

“It was a rumor spread from somebody’s speculation, but I mentioned that it was important to tell the fact by denying it once. Kenny Omega has made a great contribution to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and I wish him success.”

On the same day the report about him having trouble entering Japan was printed, Omega Tweeted the following:

Amazingly, this was all happening at the same time WWE’s roster was stuck in Saudi Arabia:

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) CEO Harold George Meij features in a new YouTube series by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The series, entitled ‘Tokyo, My City,’ highlights some of Tokyo’s leading personalities, artists, and celebrities as they talk about what makes Tokyo special to them.

NJPW shared the announcement in a post to their Twitter account, writing:

“TOKYO, MY CITY invites leading personalities from various fields based in Tokyo to share their views on what makes Tokyo special. In this video, CEO Harold Meij invites you to take a look at Tokyo through his own eyes!”

Maij spoke about how Tokyo offered unique Japanese night experiences for locals and tourists to enjoy. He highlighted the countless restaurants available, the nightlife, and the safety that the city provides.

“Japanese pro-wrestling is one such unique nightlife experience Tokyo offers,” Meij said. “Nightlife has given so many more options. The old, the new, the Western, the Japanese, all of that put together helps Tokyo stand out.”

Harold Meij was appointed president and CEO of NJPW back in May of 2018. He is also the director of Bushiroad Inc. Prior to his role with New Japan, Meij worked for Unilever Japan. He has also been an executive for Sunstar and Coca-Cola Japan.

NJPW President Harold Meij spoke to Yahoo!’s Japanese website and was asked if New Japan would possibly form a partnership with the newly formed All Elite Wrestling. Meij made comments relating to AEW’s “approach to “their presentation” of pro wrestling. The NJPW President felt NJPW would have to see how AEW was going to present their product. This was before making any sort of co-branding decisions.

Meij made the following comments, translated by @kakutolog:

“AEW is a new organization to start from now, and I do not know what kind of relationship we would [have]. I think that it is necessary to figure out what policy they would develop on pro-wrestling.”

It was initially reported that NJPW and AEW would be meeting after Wrestle Kingdom to discuss their positions going forward. It was believed that NJPW would not work with AEW and continue their relationship with Ring of Honor. One of the key elements to their decision is Kenny Omega.

The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion is still a huge part of New Japan’s plans. If the former Champion does move to AEW the company may wish to come to some sort of arrangement with the new upstart. Whether there would be any other sort of cross-promotion is completely up in the air at this point.

New Japan Pro Wrestling President, Harold Meij, recently took part in an interview with NJPW1972.com. During the interview, Meij commented about the departures of Kenny Omega and the members of the Elite. He also issued a response to his critics who say NJPW is currently too focussed on international expansion.

NJPW commentator, Chris Charlton, provided the translations.

Meij: ‘Talent will come & go. That’s life. Half of Japanese people have had more than one occupation. More overseas. There are different life stages, priorities change. What counts is that while here, ppl shine as bright as possible & produce the best product possible for us’

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) January 9, 2019

“Meij: ‘Talent will come & go. That’s life. Half of Japanese people have had more than one occupation. More overseas. There are different life stages, priorities change. What counts is that while here, ppl shine as bright as possible & produce the best product possible for us’”

Harold Meij On NJPW Booking and Departing Talent

Meij has come under criticism from some NJPW fans as of late for what they perceive as focussing too much on appealing to international fans.

“I often see talk along the lines of ‘since Meij came in, they’re only looking at international, they don’t care about Japan.’ That couldn’t be more wrong,” Meij continued.

“New Japan has gotten to the stage that the world has taken notice of it and we can do these things abroad. I’m not pushing the company international; if anything it’s the other way round. I’m doing my job as a professional to fulfill very strong demand.”

New Japan Pro Wrestling President Harold Meij recently spoke to Japanese Government’s online magazine, Highlighting Japan, where he talked about his dream to connect Japan and the rest of the world though pro wrestling and how he is taking steps to globalize NJPW’s content.

Meij says that professional wrestling has the potential to become an integral part of Japanese culture as much as sushi, or Mount Fuji. His focus is to make it more popular in the promotion’s home country.

“The strong point of pro wrestling is that it is not just a sport, but rather an encompassing experience. Every time a wrestler does a grand move, they change the atmosphere of the stadium and the crowd cheers for their favorite wrestler. When their favorite wrestlers win, there is a rush of applause, when there are foul moves the fans get angry, and when they lose they cry and get upset.”

Meij also explained that his goal for the promotion is to make it popular and appealing to an audience worldwide.

“We have over 100,000 subscribers on our video channel, and almost fifty percent of them are outside of Japan,” he said. “When foreign subscribers visit Japan and attend a New Japan Pro-Wrestling match, they tend to share their experience on social media. So that more people get a deeper understanding of the sport and connect with the wrestlers, we put matches up on YouTube, including videos of the wrestlers themselves, their training scenes and videos of matches with English-language versions of the stirring, perfectly-timed announcements made by the Japanese pro-wrestling announcers.”

Next January’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 event is being pushed as an event headlined by a battle of core ideologies.

On one side, you have Hiroshi Tanahashi, who doesn’t believe that New Japan Pro Wrestling should sacrifice the very things that made them so unique. So Japanese.

The other side of the argument is fronted by The Elite’s Kenny Omega, representing an outsider who wants to help bring global recognition to the promotion by adapting its style into something new. Evolving it into something he deems suitable.

It’s been an engaging feud so far — one that flirts with real-life tensions that exist within the company over alleged concerns of rampant “Westernization” that dilutes the “Strong Style” nature of Japanese puroresu.

Now an important voice has just been added to this feud: Harold Meij.

“They’re Almost Two Extremes To Each Other”

Meij is the current NJPW CEO, and has been speculated to have caused upset within the locker room with his recent decisions to reshuffle high-ranking New Japan corporate officials.

Speaking to Uproxx about their January extravaganza, Meij ruminated on the ideological clash between Omega and Tanahashi, juxtaposing it with NJPW’s philosophical stance.

“We talked a little bit about the philosophy, and I think that’s one of the things that sets New Japan apart from a lot of other promotions, or other sports for that matter, is we emphasize more the philosophical part… Keeping that in mind, I have to say that the Tanahashi vs. Kenny is going to be something special. Because they’re almost – I almost want to say they’re almost opposites, they’re almost two extremes to each other.”

“He Is The Epitome, Really, Of The Tradition Of New Japan”

“[…] if you’ve seen any of the comments that both have given, I mean, Tanahashi, for example, on the one hand, he is the essence of New Japan. He’s almost Mr. New Japan. I mean, he started with New Japan, he was brought up as Young Lion, he was there during the bad times, he was there during the good times. I mean, he’s been taking a lot of initiatives to help the company as well. Not just inside the ring, of course, as a wrestler, but also outside the ring he did a lot of PR. He went to personally sell tickets during our darker times… he is the epitome, really, of the tradition of New Japan. It’s in his DNA…that’s who he is.”

“Now, Kenny on the other hand,” he continued, “[…] incredibly high-quality moves, incredible stamina and agility, but he’s almost self-taught. Almost. He didn’t go to the dojo, obviously, so he doesn’t have that part of him. He came from other experiences from the world. He’s wrestled and fought the world, really. So it’s almost, you know, two polar opposites. And yeah, I almost have to say that I almost don’t want to see the outcome of that.”

NJPW President, Harold Meij, recently spoke with Emily Pratt on a variety of subjects. Perhaps most notably, Meij addressed the criticism some of had lately of NJPW becoming “westernized”.

“What is the Westernization of wrestling? I don’t know. It’s for the fans to decide what that is,” Meij said. “But I can tell you, if it’s the definition that I have, which might be very much different from yours or anyone else’s out there – it’s their own definition, I think – but if it’s my definition of what I think Westernization of wrestling is, then we’re trying to do the exact opposite.”

“We are New Japan Pro Wrestling,” Meij continued. “So I’m trying to bring the Japanese way, the Japanese way of wrestling, to the global audience. And this has to do much more with the philosophy that we talked about earlier, but also our traditions. It has to do with the way we bring and educate, if you will, our wrestlers… We have great talent. We have great matches.”

Harold Meij On Why People Watch Wrestling

Meij also gave some interesting insight into why he believes people like watching wrestling matches.

“As an individual, there are times in your life when you have to fight,” Meij said. And I don’t mean literally fight, but, you know, you have to fight for a cause or fight to protect your family, or yourself, or your opinions, or for your job or your work or whatever you’re doing, but you have to fight.”

“But when I see people physically fighting and overcoming struggles,” he continued. “Like a lot of the wrestlers have, they put a lot of time in it, they overcome a lot of injuries or personal sacrifices or personal, how do you say, struggles, within the wrestling world, and when you see them give it their everything in their match, it actually gives you as a spectator strength and courage to do more than what you might not have done in the past. And I get that from a lot of the fans, that they say the same thing. They say that’s one of the reasons why wrestling is so attractive to them.”

The full interview can be read here.

The new management team for NJPW headed up by Harold Meij has apparently ruffled a few feathers within the promotion. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, some NJPW talent are even considering leaving the company.

In particular, there appears to be some backlash toward Meij himself.

“The initial reaction was that the feeling was that he talks down to the wrestlers,” Meltzer wrote. He then continued to say many of the wrestlers are concerned he has no history in the business as well.

Moral amongst some has changed enough that they are considering leaving the company.

“There are people who in the past had never even considered WWE who are thinking about it, and others who were completely committed to staying who are probably still leaning that way, but are considering the WWE option.”

NJPW Concerns

The above report does not indicate how many wrestlers in NJPW feel this way or what their standing in the company is. The report does confirm there are NJPW wrestlers contacting media anonymously to voice their concerns, however.

Ticket sales for Fighting Spirit in Long Beach did not go well, which may have led some wrestlers to be concerned. On the other hand, the company just sold out Madison Square Garden for the G1 Supercard next year. There have been concerns voiced in Japan that the product has become Americanized since Meij took over as well. How many fans feel this way, however, is unclear.

New Japan Pro Wrestling President, Harold Meij, has penned a column in Japanese stating the promotion will not become an American-style wrestling company.

There have been complaints the last few weeks regarding the style of wrestling often featured in this year’s G1 Climax tournament. In addition to the frequent interference from Tama Tonga, Bad Luck Fale and Tanga Loa, Jay White also frequently used interference and American-style wrestling tactics.

Meij himself became involved in the proceedings, helping to have the Firing Squad ejected from the building the final night.

“From Harold Meij’s latest column. He regrets how Saturday came across, addresses concerns of NJPW becoming like ‘American wrestling’,” Tweeted Chris Charlton. “He ‘never planned’ on being involved in proceedings and says he has no intentions on being anything but an executive.”

From Harold Meij’s latest column. He regrets how Saturday came across, addresses concerns of NJPW becoming like ‘American wrestling’. He ‘never planned’ on being involved in proceedings and says he has no intentions on being anything but an executive. pic.twitter.com/LWIMLof8Gp

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) August 14, 2018

Harold Meij NJPW

Harold Meij is a Dutch businessman who has been active in the Japanese market and speaks the language fluently. He addressed the idea of a perceived foreigner running the company during an interview earlier this summer.

“I think there are long-time fans that must be worrying, ‘What? The operator is a foreigner? What’s going to happen?’ Because I look like a foreigner, you know?” Meij said. “They worry that New Japan might change. I wanted to come myself as the president and talk with the fans to alleviate any anxiety they might have.”

New Japan Pro Wrestling is believed to be organizing their 3rd show in the United States this year. The company could even make an announcement regarding the show this weekend at the G1 Special in San Francisco.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, NJPW plans to be back in Long Beach on September 30th, 2018, 4 weeks after All-In.

“While not official,” the report reads. “It looks like the 9/30 return to the U.S. after the Cow Palace show will be back in Long Beach. That’s awfully quick after All In but it’s clear they want to do regular live specials on AXS to build the brand in the U.S.”

New Japan Pro-Wrestling comes to San Francisco for the first time on July 7!!
G1 Special in San Francisco will feature Kenny Omega vs Cody in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship! And many more! Tickets available now. More info here: https://t.co/diVcJWu0gv #g1usa pic.twitter.com/phBaeRlsLO

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) June 30, 2018

NJPW International Expansion

In addition to now running several shows a year, NJPW ran two wrestling camps in Long Beach this spring. The camps were presided over by Katsuyori Shibata.

Earlier this month, newly appointed NJPW President, Harold Meij, spoke about the company’s plans for international expansion.

“I want to expand the fan-base regardless of age, gender or nationality,” Meij explained. “New Japan has fantastic content, so it has the possibility of picking up popularity overseas. At the moment, there are some 100,000 registered members on our video streaming service ‘New Japan Pro-Wrestling World,’ and 40,000 of them live outside Japan. I would like to aim for the international market with things like videos in English or events for foreign tourists.”

Meij is a Dutch national businessman who is familiar and experienced with the Japanese market.

“Even though there are a plethora of markets abroad, many Japanese companies aren’t making any use of them. As someone not bound by language or cultural barriers, I would like to become a pioneer in sports marketing.” Meij continued. “In three years at least, I will achieve profits of 10 billion yen. The figure is close to the 10.2 billion yen made by the Japan Sumo Association in 2016.”

New Japan Pro Wrestling named a new President back in May. Dutch businessman, Harold Meij, was given the role. At NJPW’s show in Osaka Jo Hall recently, Meij appeared in the ring to address the fans.

“I will work with all my heart so that you fans can feel a stronger sense of inspiration, and enjoy yourselves even more,” Meij said. “I would like to take New Japan Pro-Wrestling to the next level.”

The 54-year-old recently sat down for an interview with Japanese media outlet, the Mainichi. He explained why he chose to address the crowd in Osaka.

“I think there are long-time fans that must be worrying, ‘What? The operator is a foreigner? What’s going to happen?’ Because I look like a foreigner, you know?” Meij said. “They worry that New Japan might change. I wanted to come myself as the president and talk with the fans to alleviate any anxiety they might have.”

NJPW Plans For Increased International Expansion

Meij would continue to say that 40% of the subscribers to New Japan World are from outside of Japan. Currently, the promotion has 100,000 subscribers to their streaming service.

“I want to expand the fan-base regardless of age, gender or nationality,” Meij explained. “New Japan has fantastic content, so it has the possibility of picking up popularity overseas. At the moment, there are some 100,000 registered members on our video streaming service ‘New Japan Pro-Wrestling World,’ and 40,000 of them live outside Japan. I would like to aim for the international market with things like videos in English or events for foreign tourists.”

Meij continued to say he plans to become a pioneer of sports marketing.

“Even though there are a plethora of markets abroad, many Japanese companies aren’t making any use of them. As someone not bound by language or cultural barriers, I would like to become a pioneer in sports marketing.” Meij continued. “In three years at least, I will achieve profits of 10 billion yen. The figure is close to the 10.2 billion yen made by the Japan Sumo Association in 2016.” He continued, “I will continue to show up at more and more matches because I have to judge the reactions of the fans for myself. To that end, I will speak with fans whenever I have the chance.”