Following recommendations made by the Japanese Ministry of Health concerning the coronavirus outbreak, NJPW has canceled all shows between now and March 15.
Eleven events are affected by the cancelations. Two are Anniversary tour events, one is NJPW’s 48th Anniversary show, and eight are New Japan Cup shows. NJPW wrote that further announcements will be made at a later date. They also noted that all ticket holders will be refunded.
NJPW’s full statement on the decision is available below:
In light of recommendations made on February 26 by the Japanese Ministry of Health connected to the new Coronavirus COVID-19, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the decision to cancel all live events scheduled between Sunday March 1 and Sunday March 15.
Further announcements will be made at a later date. All ticket holders will be refunded. Please check njpw1972.com and social media in the coming days for details on the refund procedure.
NJPW has reached this difficult decision after careful consideration. Ultimately, the health and safety of our fans, staff and wrestlers is our highest concern. We remain deeply appreciative of your support of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
The following events are affected by today’s decision:
Anniversary Tour
Sunday March 1: Mito Municipal Gymnasium, Ibaraki
Monday March 2: Big Palette Fukushima
Anniversary Event
Tuesday March 3: Ota City Gymnasium, Tokyo
New Japan Cup
Wednesday March 4: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Saturday March 7: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
Sunday March 8: Baycom Gymnasium, Hyogo
Monday March 9: Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium
Tuesday March 10: ZIP Arena Okayama
Thursday March 12: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Friday March 13: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Saturday March 14: Makuhari Messe, Chiba
On February 18, NJPW had issued guidelines for fans regarding the outbreak. It was noted then that all shows were planned to go on as scheduled, but NJPW canceled all meet and greets at events until further notice, offered refunds for their March shows and asked fans not to attend if they felt unwell, and encouraged show attendees to wear surgical masks.
DDT Pro Wrestling also announced the cancelation of shows (for DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and Ganbare) between February 28 and March 8. As an alternative, DDT has announced four non-spectator DDT shows from their dojo and one non-spectator Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling show from the dojo that will air on DDT Universe.
