BANGKOK/TOKYO -- Sumo's most decorated champion is sounding the alarm over the future of Japan's national sport, even as he pushes to take it global. Hakuho, the former yokozuna (grand champion) with a record 45 tournament wins, says the professional ranks are weighed down by inertia -- and that the opportunities for growth may lie beyond Japan's borders.
Interview
Sumo legend Hakuho's next fight is to take the sport global
The sport's most decorated champion says Japan's Grand Sumo risks irrelevance without reform
Japan's former sumo champion Hakuho speaks with Nikkei Asia during the Sumo World Championships in Bangkok on Sept. 13. (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
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