Bushiroad has announced it is selling its entire stake in New Japan Pro-Wrestling to TV Asahi and CyberAgent, ending a 14-year run as the promotion’s parent company. The announcement was made on May 27, 2026 following a Bushiroad Board of Directors meeting and published on the company’s official website at bushiroad.co.jp.
Bushiroad held approximately 70% of NJPW’s shares, totaling 10,500,400 shares. The full sale is valued at approximately 3.597 billion yen, roughly $24 million USD. Of those shares, 3,550,200 are expected to go to TV Asahi, with 6,950,200 going to CyberAgent. TV Asahi was already an existing NJPW shareholder prior to the deal. Once the transfer is completed, NJPW will become a consolidated subsidiary of TV Asahi with CyberAgent as a joint partner.
Bushiroad founder and president Takaaki Kidani published a personal statement alongside the announcement, acknowledging the news would come as a surprise to fans. “Today, we have decided to transfer all of our shares in New Japan Pro-Wrestling to TV Asahi and CyberAgent,” Kidani wrote. “In 2012, at a major turning point as New Japan Pro-Wrestling aimed for further development, we were fortunate enough to welcome them into the group. For the past 14 years, we have believed in the power of professional wrestling as a wonderful form of entertainment, and together with everyone, we have worked tirelessly to deliver its appeal to even more people.”
Kidani pointed to the January 4, 2026 Tokyo Dome show as a landmark moment for what Bushiroad accomplished. The event drew 46,913 fans and was declared a complete sellout, the first time the Tokyo Dome had sold out for NJPW since 1998, a span of 28 years. Kidani said he believes the time is right for a transition to ownership that can take NJPW to the next level globally, specifically through stronger exploitation of NJPW’s video archive and a streaming-focused revenue model. He described the decision as entrusting the future “to the best possible owner” and closed his statement saying he would continue cheering for NJPW’s further golden age as a fan.
NJPW president Hiroshi Tanahashi also issued a statement thanking Bushiroad for its support since 2012. “Bushiroad became our parent company in 2012 and has greatly contributed to the development of New Japan Pro-Wrestling through large-scale advertising campaigns and various other forms of support,” Tanahashi said. “We are filled with gratitude. In order to repay this kindness, we will now work together as a company to achieve remarkable growth for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as a consolidated subsidiary of TV Asahi and with the support of CyberAgent. Our mission to create the best ring and entertain everyone remains unchanged.”
TV Asahi is one of Japan’s major terrestrial broadcast networks and has a longstanding relationship with NJPW, having aired the promotion’s content for decades. CyberAgent is a Japanese media conglomerate whose holdings include the ABEMA streaming platform, which currently holds exclusive rights to broadcast WWE content in Japan. WWE is expected to move to Netflix in Japan before the end of 2026. CyberAgent also owns CyberFight, the subsidiary that houses Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT Pro-Wrestling, and Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling.
NJPW stated it does not plan to make changes to its current business operations as a result of the ownership transfer.
One structural consequence of the deal is that NJPW and Stardom are no longer under the same parent company. NJPW transferred its ownership stake in Stardom back to Bushiroad in March 2026, meaning Bushiroad retains Stardom as a separate property. Stardom president Taro Okada said the two promotions will continue to work together as fellow members of the Japanese wrestling community.
Bushiroad expects to record an extraordinary gain on the share sale in its financial results for the end of its fiscal year in June 2026.
The full statement from Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani is available on Bushiroad’s official website.
