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The great sumo champion Hakuho announced Tuesday, September 3, to have obtained the Japanese nationality, a form of new consecration for this "yokozuna" (the highest rank of the discipline), Mongol origin, which marked the history of this Japanese traditional sport.
With our correspondent in Tokyo, Frédéric Charles
Revered as a demi-god, the giant Hakuho learned this Tuesday that the Japanese state granted him nationality. He is the third yokozuna , or great champion , of foreign origin to obtain it. The other two were from Hawaii.
Sumo is dominated by foreigners
At 34, Hakuho, the Mongol wrestler, has just ended his career. He is the most successful champion in history with 42 tournaments won. He arrived in Japan at the age of 15. For the past fifteen years, sumo has been dominated by foreign fighters, mostly Mongolian.
His Japanese passport will allow Hakuho to remain as a master in the Japan Sumo Association, one of the most closed institutions in the archipelago. And to create his own stable of wrestlers.
Without Japanese nationality, it is not possible. To obtain it, by making the request, is not within the reach of everyone. Fewer than 1,000 foreigners receive it every year, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Renounce your original nationality
Hakuho must give up his Mongolian nationality, because Japan does not recognize dual nationality. The children of binational couples like the tennis player Naomi Osaka must choose before the age of 22 which of the two nationalities they wish to obtain. The great sumo champion Hakuho has always wanted to receive it.
► Also read: Kisenosato, the "yokozuna" that gave the Japanese their pride in sumo