4. The current situation

As the IAF became a stronger organization, newer members of the IAF
accepted it as such. The older members, which were often still under a Japanese
instructor, became less influential. The number of members grew, and even
becoming a member was more of an issue. The IAF developed an admission procedure,
and the congress in 2016 admitted the largest number of new members since the
foundation of the IAF.

At the same time, the IAF was looking for ‘what else to do’ besides
meeting and participating in the Combat Games. The new-found strength needed to
be used somewhere.

And while this new energy led to new drive, and the participation of new
members, both in the general assembly and in the board, it also became clear
that the concern within the Aikikai has risen to a critical level. In a meeting
with the board representatives from Hombu argued strongly that the IAF had no
task to propagate Aikido: this was the task of the Aikikai Foundation.
Therefore, the IAF did not need to be an independent legal body. It should be a
subsidiary of the Aikikai Foundation and under the close control of the Aikikai
Foundation.

And this is the current dilemma the IAF faces. A large number of
countries have an organization that is recognized by the Aikikai Foundation.
Because of that recognition, they are recognized by their national government
as representing the sport of Aikido, with all the rights and obligations that
follow. One of the obligations is to be democratic and represent the
participants in the sport. The conflict of interest, however, is that the
Aikikai is concerned that independent strong organizations may stray from what
they perceive to be the legacy of O Sensei, the leading position of Doshu and
the control the Aikikai Foundation must have to protect that legacy and that
position.

This controversy will not go away. It is not new, it was never hidden
from the public by the previous board of the IAF. But as the IAF grows, the
implications of the controversy grow. This is the fundamental challenge for the
future of the IAF.

Two final remarks: while these observations are subjective, I have tried to be as objective as possible. And while the final conclusion may be considered sharp by some readers, it does not challenge the integrity of any person or body involved. It may well be that this actually is where Japanese culture is different from mine 🙂