United Japan Pro-wrestling

United Japan Pro-wrestling (日本プロレスリング連盟), also stylised as United Japan Pro-Wrestling, is an association of several professional wrestling promotions in Japan, acting as an industry group in order to facilitate the sharing of resources and practices as well as strengthen connections to other sectors.

Background
On April 15, 2020, due to the self-imposed restrictions of events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Takaaki Kidani (owner of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Stardom through his company Bushiroad) led a delegation of representatives from seven promotions to send a formal request for compensation for business suspension to then House of Representatives member Hiroshi Hase (an NJPW alumnus himself), the Japan Sports Agency, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This led to the formation of the Cross-party Pro-Wrestling and Martial Arts Promotion Parliamentary Group (超党派 格闘技(プロレス・総合格闘技等)振興議員連盟) in the House of Representatives on November 19.

Founding
Prompted by Hase's call to establish a unified commission of wrestling promotions and recognizing the necessity for collaboration between the government, local authorities, and the wrestling industry, an organization was formed by nine promotions owned by six companies. The United Japan Pro-Wrestling (UJPW) group was announced to be established on December 15, 2023. On May 6, 2024, a launching event is scheduled to be held at the Nippon Budokan. The inaugural chairman is Seiji Sakaguchi, a former wrestler, president and current advisor of NJPW, and the secretary-general is Naoki Sugabayashi, the current chairman of NJPW. While maintaining healthy competition among the industry, the organization aims to provide a space for exchanging opinions and information regarding common issues within the professional wrestling industry. By doing so, it intends to ensure the industry's image enhancement, foster sustainable development, and address shared challenges. UJPW also plans to welcome additional member promotions in the future. The inaugural UJPW event, the 2024 All Together, was held on May 6, 2024.

On July 17, 2024, UJPW held a general meeting in Tokyo, where World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana and Kyushu Pro-Wrestling were admitted into the association. Also at the meeting, Sanshiro Takagi was declared the UJPW spokesman and Ryota Chikuzen, Ryo Saito, and Naoki Sugabayashi were declared the association's trustees.