From the Akasaka Meeting in 2012 to the Decision to Host the 2028 World Championship
This year marked the staging of the 10th commemorative All Japan Fullcontact Karate Championship. While this milestone represents the tenth edition of the championship since the inaugural event was held in 2014, its origins can be traced back two years earlier—to April 9, 2012, when the first meeting between the World Karate Organization Shinkyokushinkai (WKO) and the Japan Karate Judge Organization (JKJO) took place in Akasaka, Tokyo.
2012
At that time, the fullcontact karate community consisted of numerous organizations and styles, each pursuing its own independent activities. However, there was a shared understanding that if fullcontact karate were ever to become an Olympic sport, the Japanese fullcontact karate community would first need to establish a unified structure. The vision was clear: to create a unified organization in Japan—the birthplace of fullcontact karate—and then expand that model to the rest of the world. This concept would eventually lead to the establishment of the Japan Fullcontact Karate Organization (JFKO) and, later, the World Fullcontact Karate Organization (WFKO).
2013
On March 18, 2013, after approximately one year of preparatory meetings and discussions, JFKO was officially established. Later that year, Tokyo was selected as the host city for the Olympic Games, and the possibility of karate being included as an additional sport became increasingly realistic. In response, the fullcontact karate community accelerated its efforts toward competitive unification.
2014
In 2014, the inaugural All Japan Fullcontact Karate Championship was held, marking the first step toward a nationally unified competition system. Later that same year, a signature campaign involving more than 1.03 million supporters was launched in an effort to promote the inclusion of fullcontact karate in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
2015
The following year, in 2015, the Kyokushin World Union (KWU) and the World Karate Organization (WKO), the core member organization of JFKO, entered into a partnership agreement in Khabarovsk, Russia. This created an environment in which the majority of the global fullcontact karate community could move forward in a spirit of cooperation.
Ultimately, however, the karate events adopted for the Tokyo Olympic Games focused on non-contact kumite and kata, and fullcontact karate was not included. At the time, these efforts may have appeared to fall short of their original goal. Looking back today, however, the significance of those initiatives can be assessed differently. Through the movement to achieve Olympic recognition, Japan established JFKO as a unified governing body, laying the foundations for the sport through the development of competition rules, officiating systems, and national championships. International exchange also expanded, and fullcontact karate began to evolve beyond the framework of individual styles and organizations, embracing a broader vision as an international competitive sport.
2019
It was within this context that WFKO was established in 2019.
2025
Despite subsequent challenges—including the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption of international activities caused by the war in Ukraine—the 1st World Fullcontact Karate Championship was successfully held at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on May 31 and June 1, 2025. The vision first articulated at the Akasaka meeting in 2012—to expand “from Japan to the world”—reached an important milestone with the realization of this world championship.
Furthermore, WFKO has brought together eight international federations and established a network spanning 120 countries and regions. With the participation of many of the world’s leading international organizations, a new international framework for fullcontact karate is steadily taking shape. At the same time, hosting a world championship once and sustaining it over the long term are entirely different challenges. The true value of an international sports federation will be tested not by its inaugural success, but by its ability to continue building and developing the movement. With this understanding, it was resolved that the 2nd World Fullcontact Karate Championship will be held in Japan in May 2028. This is far more than a decision to organize another tournament. It is a declaration that the unification movement that began in 2012 is not a temporary initiative, but a long-term international sporting movement with a sustainable future. The first decade, which began with the pursuit of Olympic recognition, ultimately became an era in which fullcontact karate established its own independent international competitive foundation.
With last year’s world championship, one chapter in our history came to a close. Today, we stand at the threshold of a new decade. How fullcontact karate will continue to evolve remains a question for future history to answer. What can already be said with certainty, however, is that the small meeting held on April 9, 2012, has led to the realization of a world championship and now points toward the 2nd World Championship in 2028. This journey deserves to be recorded as a significant chapter in the history of fullcontact karate.
Yasukazu Koi
Executive Director, World Fullcontact Karate Organization (WFKO)
