New Japan has new owners! After seven years of being majority owned by Yukes, the company has changed hands and has been purchased by Bushiroad Inc.. Bushiroad appears to have no only bought out Yukes’ 51.5% majority of shares but the rest, and now owns 100% of the company (10,000,000 shares). The reasons behind the sale are not clear but it is thought that Yukes may be cutting costs.

Bushiroad, a relatively young company that has grown fast, is already quite famous for its collectible card games and has been a sponsor of New Japan events for several years now so is no stranger to the promotion it now owns. What special plans, if any, Bushiroad has for New Japan will be revealed at a special presentation on February 29th.

The president of Bushiroad did drop some hints though, suggesting they want to appeal to wrestling fans of all ages and perhaps grab the attention of more young people. And they are not content with New Japan being merely the domestic giant of professional wrestling, they want to company to be known around the world which could mean more overseas events. Bushiroad has sponsored WWE shows in Japan which raises the intriguing question of whether there could be a relationship between the the two famous organizations.

Encouragingly the president is a lifelong fan of pro wrestling, saying he was a big fan of Inoki and was obsessed with wrestling. New Japan wrestlers were very thankful to Yukes as fans also will be, as by purchasing the company they helped lay out a platform for a rebuilding process that has dragged New Japan from a bad state where extinction wasn’t out of the question into a very healthy state now. The Bushiroad-owned New Japan and Yukes will retain a close relationship.