First ever Okinawa Karate International Tournament highly anticipated for next summer

First ever Okinawa Karate International Tournament highly anticipated for next summer

At the Prefectural Office on the afternoon of August 1, members of the executive committee and other concerned persons conducted an unveiling ceremony for a display counting down the days to the first Okinawa Karate International Tournament.


August 1, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo

On August 1 the executive committee for the Okinawa Karate International Tournament held an unveiling ceremony at the Okinawa Prefectural Office for a display counting down the number of days to the first time this tournament will open, which will be on August 1 next year.

Vice Governor of Okinawa Moritake Tomikawa, a deputy head of this executive committee, gave a comment in lieu of Governor Takeshi Onaga who heads the committee.

Tomikawa read: “It is said that karate, which was born in Okinawa, has spread to 130,000,000 enthusiasts throughout the world.

[Karate’s popularity] is expected to steadily grow through its accepted addition to the programme for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

We hope that karate enthusiasts at home and abroad will attend the tournament in Okinawa, karate’s birthplace, honing the art and deepening cultural exchange.”

Another deputy head of the executive committee, the Karate and Kobujutsu Preservation Society President Ryuko Tomoyose, also attended the unveiling ceremony.

He said that an international karate tournament in Okinawa has been a long time coming, and his heart jumps for joy at the thought that it is getting closer and closer to being realized.

Tomoyose earnestly wishes for the tournament to come together successfully.

President of the Federation of All Okinawa Karate Masanobu Sakagawa, also a deputy head of the same committee, stated: “Today, karate is extending throughout the world in a big way.

Even in historical context holding an international tournament is remarkable.

It will be my pleasure if this opportunity increases tourism through Okinawa’s karate and culture, contributing to the growth of Okinawa.”

(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)

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