Bushiroad, the parent company of New Japan Pro Wrestling, has completed a stock transfer, transferring all its shares to TV Asahi and CyberAgent.
A meeting was held on Tuesday involving Bushiroad’s board of directors, where all its shares were transferred. The related filing from the company states it “expects to record a gain on the sale of shares of affiliates in its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending June 2026.”
Bushiroad is transferring 10,500,400 shares, representing 70% of New Japan’s shares, valuing that portion of the wrestling company at about $22.6 million USD and implying a full company value of about $32 million. Bushiroad will transact 3,550,200 shares to TV Asahi (for $7.6 million) and 6,950,200 to CyberAgent (for $14.9 million).
The Company (Bushiroad) determined that conducting NJPW’s business under TV Asahi, which has long been a major shareholder of NJPW and possesses a strong broadcasting and video business platform, and CyberAgent, which has outstanding expertise in digital media operations, would be the better option to maximize NJPW’s video and digital strategy for corporate value enhancement and to achieve sustainable growth and further enhancement of corporate value. Accordingly, the Company decided to proceed with the Share Transfer.
As a result of the transaction, based on our calculations, TV Asahi and CyberAgent will each own roughly equal percentages of New Japan going forward: about 46% each, with minority shareholders owning the remaining 8%.
Bushiroad previously held the majority stake in New Japan, with its broadcaster, TV Asahi, holding a stake as well. CyberAgent and its subsidiary CyberFight already own Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT, and Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. CyberAgent apparently did not previously own any shares in New Japan.
New Japan issued a brief statement coinciding with the news:
Currently, we have no plans to make any changes to our various business operations, including the events we organize, as a result of this Share Transfer. We would like to express our gratitude to Bushiroad, which has supported our business for many years as our largest shareholder, and we look forward to working together with TV Asahi and CyberAgent to further expand our business.
New Japan was previously owned by Yuke’s from 2005 until 2012, when Bushiroad took control of the company. The promotion was emerging from a major decline in business throughout the first decade of the century and was revitalized through the emergence of Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Tetsuya Naito, among others.
In December 2014, New Japan and TV Asahi launched New Japan World as its streaming hub for all its events, including the G1 Climax and Wrestle Kingdom shows.
Under Bushiroad, its business peak occurred in January 2020 when it ran two consecutive nights at the Tokyo Dome and moved over 70,000 tickets between both nights. Strong business performance served as a cushion for the forthcoming pandemic, which left New Japan unable to run live events for months. The company never fully returned to its pre-pandemic success.
Another major achievement was this past January’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 event, which sold out the Tokyo Dome for the first time since 1998, featuring Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match.
The execution of the share transfers will be completed on June 30.
