Hiroshi Hase

Hiroshi Hase (馳 浩) is a Japanese politician and semi-retired professional wrestler who is currently the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture.

As a professional wrestler, Hase primarily worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and also for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and Stampede Wrestling.

During his affiliation with AJPW, he also served as the chairman for the Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF), which is the governing body for all championships in the promotion.

Among his numerous title wins, Hase held the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship once, making him a one-time world champion.

Hase graduated from Senshu University in March 1984.

Hase also became an amateur wrestler, representing Japan at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

He placed ninth in the Greco-Roman wrestling tournament.

He then became a teacher of classic Japanese literature in a high school in Ishikawa Prefecture, before pursuing a professional wrestling career in 1985.

Originally trained by Riki Choshu, Hase began his pro wrestling career in February 1986, training at Carlos Colón's World Wrestling Council-affiliated training facility in Puerto Rico.

Later that year, Hase went to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he was trained by Stu Hart and Katsuji Adachi.

He would wrestle in Stampede Wrestling under a mask in a tag team known as the Viet Cong Express with Fumihiro Niikura, with whom he held the Stampede International Tag Team Championship.

By 1987, he started to wrestle under his name and unmasked in Stampede Wrestling.

By the end of 1987, Hase would return to Japan.

When he returned to Japan, Hase wrestled for NJPW's junior heavyweight division, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship twice.

He defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi on December 27, 1987, and held it until May 27, 1988, losing the title to Owen Hart.

His second reign began by defeating Shiro Koshinaka on March 16, 1989, and held it until May 25, 1989, losing it to Jushin Liger.

In June 1989, Hase and Takayuki Iizuka went to the Soviet Union to be trained in sambo, where he learned one of his signature moves, the uranage.

He would also become one of the only wrestlers, Japanese or American, to successfully graduate from the junior heavyweight to heavyweight class.

In the 1990s, Hase had many memorable encounters with famous Japanese talents first in New Japan, and later All Japan.

In June 1990, Hase had a near-death experience in the ring, after being knocked out by a backdrop from Tatsutoshi Goto.

Hase would form a successful tag team with Kensuke Sasaki in March 1990, winning the IWGP Tag Team Championship twice.

On November 1, 1990, Hase and Sasaki defeated Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto to win the title and held on to the titles until December 26, 1990, losing them to Super Strong Machine and Hiro Saito.

Their second reign came by regaining them from Machine and Saito on March 6, 1991, but lost the titles on March 21, 1991, to the Steiner Brothers.

Their first reign began on November 5, 1991, defeating Rick Steiner and Scott Norton in a decision match.

Hase was involved in a classic December 14, 1992, encounter with The Great Muta, in which the "Muta Scale" was created, due to the incredible amount of blood shed by Muta, which was payback for Muta bloodying Hase on September 14, 1990.

Hase and Muto were also regular tag team partners; they won the IWGP Tag Team Championship twice.

They would hold on to the belts until March 1, 1992, losing them to Big Van Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Hase and Muto won the Super Grade Tag League in November 1993, defeating The Jurassic Powers in the final.

On March 16, 1994, Hase defeated Rick Rude to win the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship, and he re-lost the title to Rude on March 24, 1994.

Hase and Muto won their second Super Grade Tag League in October 1994.

On November 25, 1994, Hase and Muto defeated The Hellraisers to win their second IWGP Tag Team title.

They would hold on to the titles until May 1995, as they vacated the titles after Muto won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

While still IWGP Tag Team Champion, Hase travelled to North Korea to participate in Collision in Korea in April 1995.

At the two-night event, he defeated Chris Benoit on the first night then teamed up with his old tag team partner Sasaki against the Steiner Brothers on the second night.

The following year he announced his retirement from New Japan, only to jump to the rival All Japan Pro Wrestling.

His last singles bout as a NJPW wrestler was against Kensuke Sasaki on January 4, 1996.

He wrestled one more match for NJPW on July 26, 1996, teaming with Sasaki, losing to Riki Choshu and Yuji Nagata.

After a brief hiatus, he made his return to pro wrestling in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in January 1997.

From October 2015 until August 2016, Hase served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and his LDP party.

Prior to his appointment in the Cabinet, he also served as a member of the House of Representatives of the National Diet, representing the 1st district of Ishikawa Prefecture.