Dear Branch Chiefs and Contry Representative,

As always, I would like to start my message by thanking all of you for your continuously hard work for our organization.

The world is now focusing on the Olympic Games in Vancouver, in which 2,500 athletes from 82 countries take part in the festival of peace. I try to watch the games whenever I can, and it is great to see the performance of the athletes, and the hidden aspect, which is the extremely hard work they have done in preparation, especially moves me. I hope that all athletes participating in the Games will demonstrate their full ability in their performance.

Many of our WKO members wish for our organization to be a part of the Olympic Games, and here in Japan we have started taking measures to make this happen. We will in the near future have a meeting with the JOC in order to discuss this issue, and we will of course keep you informed of any developments. As you all know, there are many different Karate Styles, and it is very difficult to unify these styles and the differences in opinions. However, we will not give up despite the tough road ahead of us, and we should continue to put our faith in the possibilities we have now, to move forward.

The WKO Dan Promotion Test is coming up soon, and this year 24 people will take part in the challenge. I hope that all participants will demonstrate the result of their hard training, and that all will leave no regret in their preparation. Karate is recently becoming more and more globalized, and I believe that especially, in such times, the quality of each Dan grade will be the aspect most strictly looked upon. Not only technically, but as one reaches higher Dan grades, the attitude, behavior, etiquette and the state of the mind and soul are very important. A person reaching such a high level should have a strong mind and spirit that will not weaken no matter what difficulties one is facing. One should also have a gentle heart and personality that cares about those who are in need. A sense of respect and appreciation towards others, manners, and modesty are also qualities that are necessary. Those who are challenging for the Promotion test should be an example of what a true Karate-ka should be.

Here in Japan the winter is finally heading toward its end, and we can see a warm, comfortable spring waiting around the corner. With the spring come also many tournaments. In May, the 27th All Japan Weight Division Championship will be held, and this year there will be participants from Asia and Oceania coming. I am always impressed by the enthusiasm of students from our overseas branches, and I hope all of you will prepare your selves in the best way for the tournament.

The suffering in the world is continuing, in the form of crimes, terrorism, regional disputes, and natural disasters such as earthquakes. The world economy is also continuing to struggle. However, I do strongly believe that we, the WKO, can make a contribution to World Peace by continuing our work spreading the Budo Spirit all over the world. There is a saying in Japan “when it is too cold for a flower to bloom, spend the time to grow the root even deeper down in the earth”, the world is facing difficulties but we should not let this influence us, instead this is the time for us to make full use of our “OSU” spirit, to be strong and continue our work, step by step. In time, the spring will come and the flowers will come into blossom.

Let’s continue our work towards making WKO a wonderful organization!

Kenji Midori
President
WKO