Representatives from some of Japan's top wrestling promotions met with Japanese officials to discuss how to best tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
Wrestling stars such as Hiroshi Tanahashi, Suwama, Mayu Iwatami and more discussed what can be done to help the pro wrestling industry in Japan and came up with a couple of proposals.
The first one is a request that kits may be supplied to test and protect wrestlers and staff within the industry, if at all possible. Secondly, the wrestling representatives asked that contracted wrestlers be met with benefits and protections befitting of full time employees. Hiroshi Hase, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, received the proposals and listened to those who were present.
Below is a list of everyone who present at the meeting:
- Hiroshi Hase (lower house minister, Liberal Democratic Party)
- Sports Board, Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry Representative (unnamed)
- Takaaki Kidani (Company director, Bushiroad Group)
- Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
- Naoki Sugabayashi (Chairman, New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
- Suwama (All Japan Pro-Wrestling)
- Takenori Fukuda (Representative Director, All Japan Pro-Wrestling)
- HARASHIMA (DDT Pro-Wrestling)
- Akira Takahashi (Operating Executive, DDT Pro-Wrestling)
- Naomichi Marufuji (Executive Vice President, NOAH Global Entertainment)
- Masashi Ishiguro (Head of Public Relations, NOAH Global Entertainment)
- Mayu Iwatani (STARDOM)
- Katsuhiko Harada (Representative Director, Bushiroad Fight)
- Yuka Sakazaki (Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling)
- Tetsuya Kouda (Representative, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling)
- Kyoko Inoue (World Women’s Wrestling Diana)
- Taishi Fuwa (World Women’s Wrestling Diana)
Companies such as NJPW, DDT, Stardom, AJPW and more have had to either reschedule events or outright cancel them in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
