It is spring time in Japan, the weather is nice, and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. It is the start of a new school year, and it is heartwarming to see the energetic children walking on the street, full of hopes and dreams. I hope that everyone is enjoying spring in their country/region. We are Karateka. Let us continue to wear our dogi, train hard with strong Kiai, and pursue the ultimate truth as Karateka.

The 6th World Karate Championship in Weight Categories is quickly approaching, and I believe the competitors are in the middle of their hardest training for the event. In such stage of strict training, there is always the risk of injury, so please be careful to avoid such situation, and participate in the tournament in your best condition.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the European Championship (Organizing Committee Chairman Jan Bulow) held in Denmark. This tournament also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Denmark Branch, the organizer of the tournament, and it was a memorable experience for me. Many of the top class competitors representing Europe in the upcoming World Championship were also participating in this event as well, and the competition level was quite high. In addition, I had the chance to observe the Juniors competition held before the Seniors competition, and I noticed many new competitors with great physical build. Although Japan is currently a step ahead of the world in the development of youth competitors, I felt that the youth generation in Europe is also developing fast, and they have a good chance to surprise the senior generation and make a strong impression in the near future. With the great performance of the European youth competitors in mind, I wish to express my strong expectations towards the Branch Chiefs and Contacts in the world, for their further efforts to develop competitors. With the result of this European Championship, the tournament draw for the World Championship should be almost complete. I am very much looking forward to seeing the great bouts at the 6th World Karate Championship in Weight Categories.

I imagine that the organizer of this big event, the Kazakhstan Branch, is currently at the peak of their preparation work for the tournament. I would like to ask all Branch Chiefs and Contacts for their kind support towards the organizer, and let us all share the heavy burden of organizing this World Championship. Although I am aware of the heavy responsibility of the Kazakhstan Branch, I wish them the best in their last preparation work for the event.

As the strongest and largest Full Contact Karate organization in the world, our WKO must continue to be a global presence, with strong unity as our foundation. In this age of unity within the Karate world, we need to carefully determine the current of the times, and move our ship forward. There may be cases of partial friction in such current, but I hope to face such matters with a wide perspective. However, the heart/mind of those on the same ship, the WKO Branch Chiefs and Contacts, is the most important. In our democratic WKO, I believe it is necessary to exchange our ideas and thoughts, and move our ship forward, while maintaining a good sense of balance between our spirit of “one for all” and “all for one”.

For the future of our Full Contact Karate in the international sports world, we need to make our ship bigger, and keep promoting the great qualities, presence, and unity of Full Contact Karate across the world. At the same time, as WKO, we need to have the strong resolve to take the leading role in this current, and also have the mind to be of service and help to others, in the promotion of this united front.