Pro Wrestling News: Japanese Promotion NOAH Reported to Have Ties with Yakuza

According to Wrestlingobserver.com the Japanese Wrestling Promotion NOAH allegedly had ties to the Yakuza, one of the most notorious criminal organisations in Japan.

Several high ranking executives within the promotion had ties to the Yakuza from 2003 to 2010, and it is reported that the gang helped the promotion with ticket sales and live events.

General Manager Ryu Nakata and Counselor Haruka Eigen are named specifically by the Wrestling Observer as the executives involved with the Yakuza.

According to Puroresu Spirit's Facebook Page, Nakata and Eigen were demoted within the promotion.

Nakata was GM and Eigen was an Advisor. They will remain with the promotion as normal employees with no executive power or decision-making abilities.

Puroresu Spirit is also reporting that NOAH is in the process of creating some new compliance regulations and will be dealing with the issue of organized crime, and creating courses for employees and wrestlers so issues like these will never arise again.

Puroresu Spirit commented that all major Japanese media outlets have been covering this story, and it will give the promotion a very bad image in Japan.

The promotion has suffered hard times in the past few years, losing its television coverage and suffering the death of its president, Mitsuharu Misawa. It remains to be seen if NOAH can stay afloat among the other successful promotions in Japan.

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