All Japan Championships
The All Japan Tennis Championships is a Japanese tennis tournament that was founded in 1922. The All Japan championships was an international event but after the Japan Open began, the All Japan championships became a national event, it's currently sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric company.
History
A Japanese championships was first held in 1915 when the British player G. A. Roper beat his compatriot H. C. M. Horne in the final in four sets. The event was held on the grounds of the Kobe Club in Mirume. The entries were few, as the native players of Tokyo and Yokohama wanted the meeting held in Tokyo, but that was impossible, as the Kobe club was the only club affiliated to the Lawn Tennis Association.The All-Japan Championships was first played in 1922 in Tokyo as a men's only tournament. In 1924, a women's event was added to the programme. The tournament has been mainly played in Tokyo throughout its long run but has also been staged in other cities such as Osaka in 1933, 1935, 1937, 1939. Following World War II, the event was sometimes known as the Japan International Championships until 1972.
The All-Japan championships continues to this day but is a national event for Japanese players only, whilst the Japan Open took over the mantle as the Japan international event from 1972 onwards.