IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling junior heavweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro Wrestling ( NJPW ) promotion . " IWGP " is the acronym of NJPW ' s governing body , the International Wrestling Grand Prix . The title was introduced on February 6 , 1986 at a NJPW show . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight - limit may hold the championship . NJPW currently controls two junior heavyweight championships : the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . The weight - limit for the tag team title is 220 lb ; it is assumed that this title has the same weight - limit . From August 5 , 1996 until November 5 , 1997 the title was part of the J - Crown , or J - Crown Octuple Unified Championship . The J - Crown was an assembly of eight different championships from several different promotions . It was created on August 5 , 1996 when The Great Sasuke won an eight - man tournament . The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship , the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship , the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship , the NWA World Welterweight Championship , the UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship , the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship , the WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship , and the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship were the eight championships that were involved . On November 5 , 1997 , then - champion Shinjiro Otani vacated all J - Crown belts but the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship after the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) retook control of its Light Heavyweight title , effectively ending the J - Crown . Being a professional wrestling championship , the title is won as a result of a predetermined outcome . Overall , there have been 60 reigns shared among 30 wrestlers . Title changes happen mostly at NJPW - promoted events , as it has only changed hands at non - NJPW events twice . Reigns 36 and 37 occurred on World Championship Wrestling ' s " Nitro " television broadcast , when Juventud Guerrera defeated Jushin Liger on November 29 , 1999 , and on December 6 , 1999 when Liger retrieved the championship by defeating Guerrera ' s stand - in Psychosis . The inaugural champion was Shiro Koshinaka , who defeated The Cobra on February 6 , 1986 in the finals of a tournament . Liger holds the record of most reigns , with 11 . At 628 days , Liger ' s sixth reign is the longest in the title ' s history . Liger , with a combined 11 reigns , holds the record for most days as champion at 2 , 245 . Guerrera ' s only reigns holds the record for shortest reign at one week . With 11 successful defenses , Minoru Tanaka ' s reign under the ring name " Heat " had the most during a single reign . Over his 11 reigns , Liger successfully defended the title 31 times , the most of any champion . With zero , El Samurai ' s second reign , Hiroshi Hase ' s second reign , Tiger Mask IV ' s fourth and sixth reigns , Liger ' s fourth reign , Guerrera ' s only reign , and Pegasus Kid ' s only reign are all tied for least successful defenses . Guerrera and Pegasus Kid are the only champions to not successfully defend the title once . Prince Devitt is the current champion , after defeating Naomichi Marufuji on June 19 , 2010 at NJPW ' s " Dominion 6 . 19 " event .