The 8th All Japan 8th dan Kendo Taikai will be kicking off in Nagoya this Sunday the 18th of April. The All Japan Kendo Federation (Zen Ken Ren) is trying some new stuff for this event, with live streaming and YouTube uploads shortly after the competition finishes. Further details here, in Japanese. Their new UStream account page is here.

As usual we will be there in force for interviews and to file reports. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates during the event. We will be taking HD video for uploading later that night also.

At a Budo Gakkai seminar held in Tokyo yesterday, March 28th, FIK Secretary General Sato Yukio said that the selection criteria for the World Kendo Champs host country were to be changed after the next WKC. The current system sees the host nation rotate around one of the regional zones, Asia, Europe, the Americas. Exactly what the new criteria will be has yet to be decided, but this is planned to be resolved in time for a decision to be made and announced at the time of the 15th World Kendo Champs to be held in Italy in 2012.

Stay tuned for a more in-depth report on the Budo Gakkai seminar, which also featured team trainer to the Japan team at the 14th WKC last year, Takahashi Kentaro, UK rep. Stuart Gibson, former UK coach and regular Kendo World contributor Honda Sotaro and our own editor-in-chief Alex Bennett. The name of the Japanese team-member who is known for his cos-play antics will also be revealed...