Tadanori Nobetsu hands a letter to his karate students every month containing a warning of deteriorating Japanese morality and encouraging them to maintain their discipline. At his dojo, he requires "rei" (civility) and "aisatsu" (greeting.)
"My job is to provide an environment for children to grow healthy, both physically and mentally," said Nobetsu, the 72-year-old president and chief instructor of Goju-ryu Karatedo Nisseikai in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture. "That's what this country needs now more than ever."
Nobetsu, who often travels to the United States, Germany and other countries as an executive of the International Martial Arts Federation, is not happy how little he is helping junior high and high school children, the age group he believes needs mental education the most.