Wrestler Reign Location Length of Reign Successful Defenses Notes
Antonio Inoki 1 Tokyo, Japan 6/12/87 to 5/2/88 4 Defeated Saito in tournament final
Tatsumi Fujinami 1 Tokyo, Japan 5/8/88 to 5/27/88 1 Defeated Vader after Inoki forfeited
Tatsumi Fujinami 2 Osaka, Japan 6/24/88 to 4/5/89 7 Defeated Choshu after title was held up
Big Van Vader 1 Tokyo Dome 4/24/89 to 5/25/89 0 Defeated Hashimoto in tournament final
Salman Hashimikov 1 Osaka, Japan 5/25/89 to 7/12/89 0  
Riki Choshu 1 Osaka, Japan 7/12/89 to 8/10/89 0  
Big Van Vader 2 Tokyo, Japan 8/10/89 to 8/19/90 4  
Riki Choshu 2 Tokyo, Japan 8/19/90 to 12/26/90 1  
Tatsumi Fujinami 3 Hamamatsu, Japan 12/26/90 to 1/17/91 0  
Big Van Vader 3 Yokohama, Japan 1/17/91 to 3/4/91 0  
Tatsumi Fujinami 4 Hiroshima, Japan 3/4/91 to 1/4/92 3  
Riki Choshu 3 Tokyo Dome 1/4/92 to 8/16/92 4  
Great Muta 1 Fukuoka, Japan 8/16/92 to 9/20/93 5  
Shinya Hashimoto 1 Nagoya, Japan 9/20/93 to 4/4/94 4  
Tatsumi Fujinami 5 Hiroshima, Japan 4/4/94 to 5/1/94 0  
Shinya Hashimoto 2 Fukuoka, Japan 5/1/94 to 5/3/95 9  
Keiji Mutoh 2 Fukuoka, Japan 5/3/95 to 1/4/96 6  
Nobuhiko Takada 1 Tokyo Dome 1/4/96 to 4/29/96 1  
Shinya Hashimoto 3 Tokyo Dome 4/29/96 to 8/31/97 7  
Kensuke Sasaki 1 Yokohama, Japan 8/31/97 to 4/4/98 3  
Tatsumi Fujinami 6 Tokyo Dome 4/4/98 to 8/8/98 2  
Masahiro Chono 1 Osaka, Japan 8/8/98 to 9/21/98 0 Chono forfeited title due to injury
Scott Norton 1 Yokohama, Japan 9/23/98 to 1/4/99 2  
Keiji Mutoh 3 Tokyo Dome 1/4/99 to 12/10/99 5  
Genichiro Tenryu 1 Osaka, Japan 12/10/99 to 1/4/00 0  
Kensuke Sasaki 2 Tokyo Dome 1/4/00 to 10/9/00 5 Sasaki forfeited title after losing to Kawada
Kensuke Sasaki 3 Tokyo Dome 1/4/01 to 3/17/01 1  
Scott Norton 2 Nagoya, Japan 3/17/01 to 4/9/01 0  
Kazuyuki Fujita 1 Osaka, Japan 4/9/01 to 1/4/02 2 Chono forfeited title due to injury
Tadao Yasuda 1 Tokyo, Japan 2/16/02 to 4/5/02 1 Defeated Nagata in tournament final
Yuji Nagata 1 Tokyo, Japan 4/5/02 to 5/2/03 10  
Yoshihiro Takayama 1 Tokyo Dome 5/2/03 to 11/3/03 3  
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 1 Yokohama, Japan 11/3/03 to 12/9/03 0  
Shinsuke Nakamura 1 Osaka, Japan 12/9/03 to 2/5/04 1 Nakamura forfeited title due to injury
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 2 Tokyo, Japan 2/15/04 to 3/14/04 1 Defeated Tenryu in tournament final
Kensuke Sasaki 4 Tokyo, Japan 3/14/04 to 3/28/04 0  
Bob Sapp 1 Tokyo, Japan 3/28/04 to 6/2/04 1 Forfeited title due to being scared of Fujita
Kazuyuki Fujita 2 Osaka, Japan 6/5/04 to 10/9/04 1 Defeated Tanahashi in tournament final
Kensuke Sasaki 5 Tokyo, Japan 10/9/04 to 12/12/04 2  
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 3 Nagoya, Japan 12/12/04 to 2/20/05 0  
Satoshi Kojima 1 Tokyo, Japan 2/20/05 to 5/14/05 1  
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4 Tokyo Dome 5/14/05 to 7/18/05 1  
Kazuyuki Fujita 3 Sapporo, Japan 7/18/05 to 10/8/05 0  
Brock Lesnar 1 Tokyo Dome 10/8/05 to 7/15/06 3 Stripped of title due to refusing to defend it
Hiroshi Tanahashi 1 Sapporo, Japan 7/17/06 to 4/13/07 4 Defeated Giant Bernard in tournament final
Yuji Nagata 2 Osaka, Japan 4/16/07 to 10/8/07 2  
Hiroshi Tanahashi 2 Tokyo, Japan 10/8/07 to 1/4/08 1  
Shinsuke Nakamura 2 Tokyo Dome 1/4/08 to 4/27/08 2  
Keiji Mutoh 4 Osaka, Japan 4/27/08 to 1/4/09 4  
Hiroshi Tanahashi 3 Tokyo Dome 1/4/09 to 5/6/09 3  
Manabu Nakanishi 1 Tokyo, Japan 5/6/09 to 6/20/09 0  
Hiroshi Tanahashi 4 Osaka, Japan 6/20/09 to 8/16/09 3 Forfeited due to injury
Shinsuke Nakamura 3 Kobe, Japan 9/27/09 to 5/3/10 6 Defeated Makabe in decision match
Togi Makabe 1 Fukuoka, Japan 5/3/10 to 10/11/10 3  
Satoshi Kojima 2 Tokyo, Japan 10/11/10 to 1/4/11 1  
Hiroshi Tanahashi 5 Tokyo, Japan 1/4/11 to 2/12/12 11  
Kazuchika Okada 1 Osaka, Japan 2/12/12 to 6/16/12 2  
Hiroshi Tanahashi 6 Osaka, Japan 6/16/12 to 4/7/13 7  
Kazuchika Okada 2 Tokyo, Japan 4/7/13 to 5/3/14 8  
AJ Styles 1 Fukuoka, Japan 5/3/14 to 10/13/14 2  
Hiroshi Tanahashi 7 Tokyo, Japan 10/13/14 to present