The Japan Shogi Federation has ordered its masters not to play unauthorized games against computers in public. Mostly because they are afraid to lose.

Federation officials fear that a professional shogi master losing to a computer would be beneath their dignity and have ordered male and female masters to seek permission before they play against a computer in public.

I guess a software program came very close to defeating a pro, which caused a sense of crisis within the organization. But they are going to have to deal with it, as computers will be able to easily beat every human player very soon.
I am sure that a lot of this has to do with money, also.