Hatashita International has a long martial arts legacy in Canada. After World War II, John and Frank Hatashita began trading in judogi and karategi from Japan and became the first importers of Mizuno products in the world. John trained in Japan with judo masters, while Frank used his exceptional judo and communication skills to build awareness of judo and martial arts in North America. Frank would eventually become Pan Am Judo Federation President and IJF Vice-President while running what became the "Mecca” of martial arts in Canada: Hatashita Judo Club, on Queen Street in Toronto. Frank Hatashita was the first inductee into the Canadian Martial Arts Hall of Fame. John Hatashita ran his own club in Waterloo, where he trained and coached 3 Olympic judokas.

In the early 2000’s, John's son, Roman Hatashita, a judo Olympian and many times Canadian champion, took over Frank's fledgling import operation and expanded it into a preeminent North American martial arts supplier.