Following the name of the champion(s): Indicates the number of times the competitor has held that title at that point.
[...]
Indicates a gap in the listing where title changes are not known.
<
Title was held or changed hands no later than this. In these cases, it is known that a competitor held the title at a certain time but not when he/she won it.
@
Order uncertain. Different titleholders may be known for the same year, for example, but it is not known who held the title before whom.
#
Unofficial or disputable claims. These are usually matches that certainly took place, but where there is doubt that the competitor shown should be recognized as a true title holder. These listings are also italicized.
Japan Boxing Commission
Japanese Middleweight Title (as of 2025-08-21)
* Recognized by JBC from 1952-04.
* Bolded letters in the competitor's name, if any, indicate the surname/family name.
Arai Shōkichi
1947-08-31
Tōkyō
Defeats Moriwaki Eiichi.
Horiguchi Tsuneo
1948-03-28
Nishinomiya, Hyōgo
Fumimoto Haruki
1948-05-22
Tōkyō
Arai Shōkichi [2]
1950-01-02
Kyōto
Tatsumi Hachirō
1951-01-09
Tōkyō
Recognized by the Japan Boxing Commission upon its inception on 52-04-21; also wins the welterweight title on 52-06-01; vacates both titles on 53-06-26.
Yokoyama Mamoru
1953-07-01
Tōkyō
Defeats Kiyokawa Shintarō.
Tatsumi Hachirō [2]
1954-01-18
Tōkyō
Ōnuki Teruo
1956-01-08
Ōsaka
Tatsumi Hachirō [3]
1956-04-09
Tōkyō
Maemizo Takao
1962-06-03
Tōkyō
Saitō Noboru
1962-12-02
Kawaguchi, Saitama
Maemizo Takao [2]
1963-02-17
Tōkyō
Kaneda Morio
1963-08-12
Tōkyō
Kaizu Fumio
1965-05-10
Tōkyō
Akasaka Yoshiaki
1967-05-03
Utsunomiya
Kaizu Fumio [2]
1967-07-19
Tōkyō
Vacates on 67-08-29.
Akasaka Yoshiaki [2]
1967-11-08
Tōkyō
Defeats Takeda Akimine.
Fuji Hajime
1968-05-06
Tokushima
Etō Yoshiaki
1968-09-19
Hiroshima
Benkei Fujikura(Fujikura Tsutomu)
1968-12-25
Tōkyō
Etō Yoshiaki [2]
1969-04-23
Tōkyō
Vacates on 70-02-04 upon retirement.
Cassius Naitō(Naitō Jun-ichi)
1970-02-25
Tōkyō
Defeats Akasaka Yoshiaki; wins OBF Title on 71-01-06; vacates Japanese title on 71-02-01.
Turtle Okabe
1971-02-24
Tōkyō
George Carter
1971-04-19
Tōkyō
Vacates on 72-12-01 upon returning to USA.
Cassius Naitō [2]
1972-12-08
Kawasaki
Defeats Okita Ken.
Stephen Smith
1973-02-26
Tōkyō
Stripped of the title on 73-10-02 upon losing in a non-title match against OPBF welterweight champion Ryū Sorimachi.
Flasher Ishibashi(Stephen Smith) [2]
1973-11-16
Ōsaka
Defeats Horihata Michihiro; vacates in 74-09 upon returning to USA.