John Van Weenen MBE (born 26 August 1941, Enfield, Middlesex, England)[1] is a 9th Dan karateka and humanitarian.
Van Weenen was graded to 1st Dan by Moss Hollis in 1966, (his diploma is reproduced in his auto biography 'In Funakoshi's Footsteps'), before travelling to Japan in 1967 to train at the invitation of Masutatsu Oyama at the Kyokushinkai Headquarters.
in Bedford, Bedfordshire, whose guest instructors included Bob Poynton, Ticky Donovan and Sean Roberts.
Professor Dr Sali Berisha, Prime Minister of Albania, said that Van Weenen “quite uniquely, turned his martial arts expertise into missionary skills.”[citation needed] In 2001, Berisha was a guest on an episode of This Is Your Life, dedicated to van Weenen.
[citation needed] Berisha would later request that Van Weenen become the Honorary Consul in Great Britain for Albania He took up this position in 2012.