The Japan Fullcontact Karate Organization (JFKO) was established in 2013 with the goal of achieving Olympic recognition for Full Contact Karate.
In 2014, JFKO launched the inaugural All Japan Full Contact Karate Championships in Osaka as the “Japan Model,” a unified competitive framework for the Full Contact Karate community. Since then, JFKO has continued to organize national championships, international tournaments, and world-level events on an annual basis, steadily developing and strengthening the sport’s competitive foundation.
In 2019, JFKO took the next step by establishing the World Full Contact Karate Organization (WFKO), an international governing body created to expand the Japan Model to the global stage. Despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, WFKO successfully held the long-awaited 1st World Full Contact Karate Championships at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on May 31 and June 1, 2025, attracting approximately 20,000 spectators.
With both domestic and international competitive structures now firmly established, Full Contact Karate has entered a new phase in pursuing the founding vision of Olympic recognition.
Recently, thanks to the generous support and efforts of Mr. Hiroshi Mizohata, President of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and Mr. Yoshikazu Tanaka, Director General, who have strongly supported our activities through Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, we were honored with the opportunity to visit Ms. Seiko Hashimoto, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and Member of the House of Councillors, who has long shown interest in and understanding of our activities.
During the visit, JFKO President Kenji Midori, Secretary General Yasukazu Koi, and Branch Chief Sakamoto paid a courtesy call and shared the history, achievements, and future vision of Full Contact Karate.
Coincidentally, the visit took place on Olympic Day, making it a particularly meaningful occasion. It became a day that cast new light on the path toward the future of Full Contact Karate.
From national unification to global unification—building upon years of steady progress, the challenge of bringing Full Contact Karate to the Olympic Games has now begun to move forward once again.
