World Junior Heavyweight Championship (AJPW)
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The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) World Junior Heavyweight Championship(世界ジュニアヘビー級王座, Sekai Junia Hebī-kyū Ōza) is a professional wrestling world title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight (<235 lb (107 kg)) wrestlers. It was created on July 31, 1986, when Hiro Saito defeated Brad Armstrong in a tournament final.
Title history
The original World Junior Heavyweight Championship belt had a similar design to the title it replaced, the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship, which had been around since 1982 and only replacing the word "International" with "World". This belt was replaced with a new belt on August 27, 2017. On June 3, 2019, then-champion Atsushi Aoki died in a motorcycle accident and the belt was retired and given to Aoki's family. A new belt with a new design debuted on January 3, 2020.
There have been a total of 47 recognized champions who have had a combined 73 official reigns and six vacancies. The title is currently held by Seigo Tachibana who is in his first reign.
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | ||||
| All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) | |||||||||
| 1 | Hiro Saito | July 31, 1986 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 115 | 3 | Defeated Brad Armstrong in a tournament final. | |
| 2 | Kuniaki Kobayashi | November 23, 1986 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 41 | 1 | ||
| 3 | Masanobu Fuchi | January 3, 1987 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 748 | 7 | ||
| 4 | Joe Malenko | January 20, 1989 | Live event | Fukuoka, Japan | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Mighty Inoue | January 25, 1989 | Live event | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 42 | 2 | ||
| 6 | Masanobu Fuchi | March 8, 1989 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 39 | 1 | ||
| 7 | Shinichi Nakano | April 16, 1989 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Mitsuo Momota | April 20, 1989 | Live event | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 72 | 2 | ||
| 9 | Joe Malenko | July 1, 1989 | Live event | Omiya, Japan | 2 | 111 | 2 | ||
| 10 | Masanobu Fuchi | October 20, 1989 | Live event | Nagoya, Japan | 3 | 1,309 | 14 | ||
| 11 | Dan Kroffat | May 21, 1993 | Live event | Sapporo, Japan | 1 | 94 | 1 | ||
| 12 | Masanobu Fuchi | August 23, 1993 | Live event | Shizuoka, Japan | 4 | 323 | 2 | ||
| 13 | Dan Kroffat | July 12, 1994 | Live event | Kagoshima, Japan | 2 | 425 | 5 | ||
| 14 | Yoshinari Ogawa | September 10, 1995 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 294 | 4 | ||
| 15 | Masanobu Fuchi | June 30, 1996 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 5 | 24 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Tsuyoshi Kikuchi | July 24, 1996 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 175 | 2 | ||
| 17 | Yoshinari Ogawa | January 15, 1997 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 219 | 1 | ||
| 18 | Maunakea Mossman | August 22, 1997 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 294 | 3 | ||
| — | Vacated | June 12, 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated due to Mossman graduating to the heavyweight division. | |
| 19 | Yoshinari Ogawa | July 19, 1998 | Summer Action Series tour | Niigata, Japan | 3 | 698 | 5 | Defeated Satoru Asako in a tournament final. | |
| — | Vacated | June 16, 2000 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated due to Ogawa and several others leaving AJPW to form Pro Wrestling Noah. | |
| 20 | Kendo Kashin | April 13, 2002 | Grand Champion Carnival | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 670 | 8 | Defeated Masanobu Fuchi. | |
| — | Vacated | February 12, 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated on February 12, 2004 due to inactivity. | |
| 21 | Kaz Hayashi | February 22, 2004 | Excite Series tour | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 323 | 6 | Defeated Blue-K. | |
| 22 | Taka Michinoku | January 10, 2005 | Kaientai Dojo's CLUB-K SUPER kick | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 285 | 12 | This match was also for Hayashi's Strongest-K Championship. | |
| 23 | Shuji Kondo | October 22, 2005 | Shining Series tour | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 483 | 5 | ||
| 24 | Katsuhiko Nakajima | February 17, 2007 | Puroresu Love in Ryogoku vol. 2 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 378 | 3 | The title was held up on October 18, 2007 after a title defense against Silver King ended in a no contest, though Nakajima remained the official champion. | |
| 25 | Silver King | March 1, 2008 | Puroresu Love in Ryogoku vol. 4 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 59 | 0 | ||
| 26 | Ryuji Hijikata | April 29, 2008 | Growin' Up tour | Nagoya, Japan | 1 | 152 | 3 | ||
| 27 | Naomichi Marufuji | September 28, 2008 | Flashing tour | Yokohama, Japan | 1 | 131 | 4 | ||
| 28 | Kaz Hayashi | February 6, 2009 | Excite Series tour | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 695 | 17 | ||
| 29 | Minoru | January 2, 2011 | New Year Shining Series tour | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 152 | 1 | ||
| — | Vacated | June 3, 2011 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated after All Japan Pro Wrestling suspended Minoru. | |
| 30 | Kai | June 19, 2011 | 2011 Puroresu Love in Ryōgoku | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 126 | 2 | Defeated Shuji Kondo for the vacant title. | |
| 31 | Kenny Omega | October 23, 2011 | Puroresu Love in Ryōgoku Vol. 13 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 217 | 5 | ||
| 32 | Kai | May 27, 2012 | Rise Up Tour 2012 | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 77 | 0 | ||
| 33 | Hiroshi Yamato | August 12, 2012 | Summer Impact 2012 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 143 | 5 | ||
| 34 | Shuji Kondo | January 2, 2013 | 2013 New Year Shining Series: New Year 2Days | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 52 | 0 | This match was also contested for Kondo's GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. | |
| 35 | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | February 23, 2013 | 2013 Excite Series | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 295 | 7 | ||
| 36 | Último Dragón | December 15, 2013 | 2013 Fan Appreciation Day | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 165 | 2 | ||
| 37 | Atsushi Aoki | May 29, 2014 | 2014 Super Power Series | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 302 | 5 | ||
| 38 | Kotaro Suzuki | March 27, 2015 | 2015 Dream Power Series | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 234 | 6 | ||
| — | Vacated | November 16, 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated due to Suzuki leaving AJPW. | |
| 39 | Atsushi Aoki | February 21, 2016 | 2016 Excite Series | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 119 | 3 | Defeated Hikaru Sato in the finals of the 2016 Jr. Battle of Glory. | |
| 40 | Hikaru Sato | June 19, 2016 | 2016 Dynamite Series | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 70 | 1 | ||
| 41 | Soma Takao | August 28, 2016 | Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2016 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 91 | 1 | This was a DDT Pro-Wrestling event. | |
| 42 | Keisuke Ishii | November 27, 2016 | Zen Nihon Puroresu in Ryōgoku Kokugikan | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 152 | 3 | ||
| 43 | Hikaru Sato | April 28, 2017 | 2017 Champion Carnival: 45th Anniversary Series | Okayama, Japan | 2 | 93 | 4 | ||
| 44 | Tajiri | July 30, 2017 | 2017 Summer Action Series | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 28 | 0 | ||
| 45 | Último Dragón | August 27, 2017 | 2017 Summer Explosion | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 55 | 1 | ||
| 46 | Tajiri | October 21, 2017 | Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori Debut 25th Anniversary Show | Yokohama, Japan | 2 | 105 | 3 | ||
| 47 | Atsushi Aoki | February 3, 2018 | 2018 Yokohama Twilight Blues Special | Yokohama, Japan | 3 | 204 | 4 | ||
| 48 | Koji Iwamoto | August 26, 2018 | 2018 Summer Explosion ~ Jr. Tag Battle of Glory | Chiba, Japan | 1 | 27 | 0 | ||
| 49 | Shuji Kondo | September 22, 2018 | Royal Road Tournament 2018 | Fukuoka, Japan | 3 | 68 | 1 | ||
| 50 | Koji Iwamoto | November 29, 2018 | Real World Tag League 2018 | Nagoya, Japan | 2 | 172 | 2 | ||
| 51 | Atsushi Aoki | May 20, 2019 | Super Power Series 2019 | Tokyo, Japan | 4 | 184 | 0 | On June 3, 2019, Aoki died in a motorcycle accident. AJPW announced Aoki would be recognized as champion until November 20. On October 24, AJPW announced a tournament to crown a new champion would start on November 21 and finish on January 3, 2020. | |
| — | Vacated | November 20, 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated after Aoki died in a motorcycle accident and the six month deadline for a title defense expired. | |
| 52 | Susumu Yokosuka | January 3, 2020 | New Year Wars 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 204 | 5 | Defeated Hikaru Sato in a tournament final to win the vacant championship | |
| 53 | Koji Iwamoto | July 25, 2020 | Summer Action Series 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | 3 | 210 | 4 | ||
| 54 | Cima | February 20, 2021 | Excite Series 2021 - Day 2 | Nagoya, Japan | 1 | 109 | 2 | ||
| 55 | Koji Iwamoto | June 9, 2021 | AJPW Dynamite Series 2021 - Day 1 | Tokyo, Japan | 4 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 56 | Akira Francesco | June 26, 2021 | Champions Night ~ From The Land Of The Triple Crown Unification Flight To The 50th Anniversary | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 26 | 0 | ||
| 57 | Sugi | July 22, 2021 | Summer Action Series 2021 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 86 | 2 | ||
| 58 | Izanagi | October 16, 2021 | AJPW Champions Night 2 ~ All Japan Pro Wrestling 20th Anniversary | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 61 | 0 | ||
| 59 | Super Crazy | December 16, 2021 | Prime Night 2021 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 60 | Sugi | January 3, 2022 | New Year Wars 2022 | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 51 | 2 | ||
| 61 | Hikaru Sato | February 23, 2022 | AJPW Excite Series 2022 | Tokyo, Japan | 3 | 116 | 3 | ||
| 62 | Tiger Mask | June 19, 2022 | AJPW Champions 50th Anniversary | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 91 | 3 | ||
| 63 | Atsuki Aoyagi | September 18, 2022 | AJPW 50th Anniversary | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 154 | 5 | ||
| 64 | Naruki Doi | February 19, 2023 | AJPW Excite Series 2023 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 99 | 2 | ||
| 65 | Atsuki Aoyagi | May 29, 2023 | Super Power Series 2023 | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 33 | 1 | ||
| 66 | El Lindaman | July 2, 2023 | Summer Action Series 2023 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 182 | 4 | ||
| 67 | Dan Tamura | December 31, 2023 | Mania X 2023 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 69 | 3 | ||
| 68 | Rising Hayato | March 9, 2024 | Dream Power Series 2024 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 126 | 3 | ||
| 69 | Naruki Doi | July 13, 2024 | Summer Action Series 2024 | Osaka, Japan | 2 | 197 | 5 | ||
| 70 | Musashi | January 26, 2025 | New Year Wars 2025 | Chiba, Japan | 1 | 112 | 2 | ||
| 71 | Seiki Yoshioka | May 18, 2025 | Champion Carnival 2025 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 84 | 2 | ||
| 72 | Atsuki Aoyagi | August 10, 2025 | Nettou Summer Action Wars 2025 | Matsumoto, Japan | 3 | 168 | 4 | ||
| 73 | Seigo Tachibana | January 25, 2026 | New Year Wars 2026 | Chiba, Japan | 1 | 81+ | 0 |
Combined reigns
As of April 16, 2026.
| † | Indicates the current champion |
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined defenses | Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masanobu Fuchi | 5 | 24 | 2,443 |
| 2 | Yoshinari Ogawa | 3 | 10 | 1,211 |
| 3 | Kaz Hayashi | 2 | 23 | 1,018 |
| 4 | Atsushi Aoki | 4 | 12 | 810 |
| 5 | Kendo Kashin | 1 | 8 | 670 |
| 6 | Shuji Kondo | 3 | 6 | 603 |
| 7 | Dan Kroffat | 2 | 6 | 519 |
| 8 | Koji Iwamoto | 4 | 6 | 426 |
| 9 | Katsuhiko Nakajima | 1 | 3 | 378 |
| 10 | Atsuki Aoyagi | 3 | 10 | 355 |
| 11 | Naruki Doi | 2 | 7 | 296 |
| 12 | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 1 | 7 | 295 |
| 13 | Maunakea Mossman | 1 | 3 | 294 |
| 14 | Taka Michinoku | 1 | 12 | 285 |
| 15 | Hikaru Sato | 3 | 8 | 279 |
| 16 | Kotaro Suzuki | 1 | 6 | 234 |
| 17 | Último Dragón | 2 | 3 | 220 |
| 18 | Kenny Omega | 1 | 5 | 217 |
| 19 | Susumu Yokosuka | 1 | 5 | 204 |
| 20 | Kai | 2 | 2 | 203 |
| 21 | El Lindaman | 1 | 4 | 182 |
| 22 | Tsuyoshi Kikuchi | 1 | 2 | 175 |
| 23 | Keisuke Ishii | 1 | 3 | 152 |
| Ryuji Hijikata | 1 | 3 | 152 | |
| Minoru | 1 | 1 | 152 | |
| 26 | Hiroshi Yamato | 1 | 5 | 143 |
| 27 | Sugi | 2 | 4 | 137 |
| 28 | Tajiri | 2 | 3 | 133 |
| 29 | Naomichi Marufuji | 1 | 4 | 131 |
| 30 | Rising Hayato | 1 | 3 | 126 |
| 31 | Joe Malenko | 2 | 2 | 116 |
| 32 | Hiro Saito | 1 | 3 | 115 |
| 33 | Musashi | 1 | 2 | 112 |
| 34 | Cima | 1 | 2 | 109 |
| 35 | Tiger Mask | 1 | 3 | 91 |
| Soma Takao | 1 | 1 | 91 | |
| 37 | Seiki Yoshioka | 1 | 2 | 84 |
| 38 | Seigo Tachibana † | 1 | 0 | 81+ |
| 39 | Mitsuo Momota | 1 | 2 | 72 |
| 40 | Dan Tamura | 1 | 3 | 69 |
| 41 | Izanagi | 1 | 0 | 61 |
| 42 | Silver King | 1 | 0 | 59 |
| 43 | Mighty Inoue | 1 | 2 | 42 |
| 44 | Kuniaki Kobayashi | 1 | 1 | 41 |
| 45 | Akira Francesco | 1 | 0 | 26 |
| 46 | Super Crazy | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 47 | Shinichi Nakano | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Belt design
The standard Championship belt has five plates on a black leather strap.