Piercarlo Cappelli is Honorary President and one of the original founders of AKIHO Europe. An 8th Dan judo practitioner and fluent speaker of Japanese, he has been involved with the Akita Inu for many years and has supported relations between AKIHO in Japan and the European community. Although no longer an active member of the Board of Directors, he continues to assist AKIHO Europe, particularly during European Hozonkai Championships and visits by representatives from Japan.