 In June 1960, Nishiyama was promoted to the rank of 5th "dan" in Shotokan karate.In July 1961, Nishiyama moved to the United States of America at the invitation of his students from the SAC, and founded the All American Karate Federation (AAKF).It was around this time that Tsutomu Ohshima invited Nishiyama to take charge of his karate students in the US, as Ohshima was planning to return to Japan following completion of his US university studies.