The US Consulate in Fukuoka backed the latest Guardian Girls Global Karate Project event in Fukuoka ©WKF

The United States Consulate in Fukuoka has backed the latest event held as part of the Guardian Girls Global Karate Project alongside the Karate 1-Premier League leg in the Japanese city.

Los Angeles in the US was the city in which the project was launched last year through a collaboration between the World Karate Federation (WKF), Koyamada International Foundation (KIF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

It aims to prevent gender-based violence and provide self-defence skills through karate to women and girls.

Previous event as part of the project were held in Egypt's capital Cairo, Guadalajara in Spain and Morocco's capital Rabat.

The Fukuoka instalment received backing from the US Consulate in the city and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Consulate's Principal Officer Chuka Asike, KIF co-founder and actor Shin Koyamada, Japan Karate Federation President and WKF Honorary President Takashi Sasakawa, chief of the UNFPA office in Japan Eiko Narita and WKF general secretary Toshihisa Nagura all participated, while the US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and the consul general of Japan in Los Angeles Kenko Sone sent video messages.

WKF head instructor Amy Connell presented examples of self-defence techniques to participants.

Japanese official Toshihisa Nagura expressed the WKF's continued support for the project.

"Karate was born in Japan and now is practised as a universal sport by more than 100 million people around the world," he said.

"Last year we initiated this project with KIF and UNFPA and we decided to cooperate fully and work together in this activity of high social contribution; since then, we have been successfully carrying out this programme in several countries around the world.

"We are very happy to see that karate has become a lifelong sport for our society, and we will continue to support this project, to further contribute to the improvement of people through these activities which we believe present a great social contribution and a clear representation of the uniqueness of karate."

Emanuel claimed the Guardian Girls Global Karate project "builds on the United States and Japan's shared values and our shared goals".

Further Guardian Girls Global Karate Project events this year are planned in Ireland's capital Dublin and Hungary's capital Budapest.