Japanese figure skating 2025-26 season news & updates

[YukiNieve]

Ami Nakai trains at the MF Academy which was established just 5 years ago and led by Kensuke Nakaniwa, a former competitor (single men). Kensuke was a two-time Ondrej Nepela Memorial champion, and a three-time Japanese Nationals medalist.

While Kinoshita Academy is one of the most well-known skating centres in Japan, the MF Academy, which has Yuna Aoki and Rio Nakata, is increasingly getting more attention after Ami won a bronze medal at the Milan Olympics.

The thoughts entrusted to Ami Nakai's skating: the 'choices' her coach wanted to demonstrate.

https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASV2M4SQ8V2MPTQP003M.html?ptoken=01KJK5X5PPJA4KS8Q9MRQ7G60E (in Japanese, behind the paywall)

When Ami was in elementary school, she was overwhelmed by the high level of the other skaters at the Nationals. “I can't stay like this.” Ami decided to move to the Kanto region for skating.

Among several options, Ami chose the MF Academy in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, which had been established that year (2021).

“Since it was a newly formed team, I thought I could go without feeling too much pressure.” She was a first-year member.

“I wanted to push through with fun and positivity rather than strictness.” Coach Nakaniwa's philosophy permeates the academy's coaching style.

Unlike many clubs, the team only has one “morning practice” per week. “Health comes first, rather than practicing a lot.” Sleep is crucial.

This is also for the parents. Since the skaters also go to school (after training), skating lessons (usually) take place from 6AM to 8AM. Parents have to get up at 4AM or 5AM. “If parents get stressed, it affects the kids too.”

Looking at practice time “per day,” it is indeed short. “But because they can maintain their health, they can consistently build up (the level of) practice over the entire year.”

Parents are only allowed to watch practice on Fridays. “I want the skaters to push themselves out of their own will, not because their parents are watching.”

Neither weight nor diet is managed. Information (about them) is provided, but "we can only supervise them for two to three hours a day. The rest of the time belongs to the children themselves and their family.'

Nakai describes his coach: “He's still my coach, but lately it feels like we're competing together. I'm thrilled to be able to take my coach to the Olympics.” Nakai's smile at the Olympics is striking. “It's part of my coach's philosophy, but I've stopped obsessing over winning or losing itself, and I can approach competitions more easily now.”

 

[YukiNieve]

Cross-posting:

According to a newspaper published locally where Kaori Sakamoto trains, she confirmed that she will compete in the Worlds in Prague, and it will be her final competition as an amateur athlete.

坂本花織が世界フィギュアに出場へ　冬季五輪銀メダル、「最後は世界選手権になる」と明言

ミラノ・コルティナ冬季五輪フィギュアスケート女子銀メダルの坂本花織（シスメックス、神戸市灘区出身）が、現役最後の大会として、２５日開幕の世界選手権（プラハ）に出場することが７日、明らかになった。今季限りでの引退を表明しており、世界選手権の出場については言及を避けていた。

www.kobe-np.co.jp

 

[withwings]

I hope and wish Kaori will have a skate she is happy about at Worlds, and will leave her amateur career being on that happy note.

 

[Sylvia]

Team Japan's results at 2026 Junior Worlds:

GOLD Mao SHIMADA JPN 208.91 1 2 (consecutive title #4 despite not feeling well)
BRONZE Mayuko OKA JPN 197.17 2 4
10 Mei OKADA JPN 177.77 24 5

GOLD Rio NAKATA JPN 268.47 1 1 (second straight gold)
BRONZE Taiga NISHINO JPN 241.23 4 2
9 Daiya EBIHARA JPN 217.52 3 12

14 Kaho YAMASHITA / Yuto NAGATA JPN 127.56 15 13 (ice dance team's final ISU Junior season)

Mao Shimada article:

【フィギュア】世界ジュニア４連覇の島田麻央が帰国「フラフラ」状態でのＶ「本当にうれしい」 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

エストニアで行われたフィギュアスケートの世界ジュニア選手権で前人未到の4連覇を達成した島田麻央（17＝木下グループ）が9日に帰国し、体調不良の中での演技や、来… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

Mao Shimada (17, Kinoshita Group), who achieved an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships held in Estonia, returned to Japan on the 9th and spoke about her performance despite poor health and her aspirations for moving on to senior skating next season.
Shimada, who achieved what could be called a historic feat, looked back with a smile on her face as she held her medal and said, "I'm really happy to have been able to bring home gold medals at the World Junior Championships all four times."
This was her final junior competition and she found himself battling an unexpected challenge. "From the night after the short program, I started to feel something was wrong, and the next day I couldn't get out of bed, so much so that I skipped practice and just slept. On the day of the competition, I managed to go to morning practice, but after just one jump I was feeling dizzy and I really thought I couldn't skate the free skate." The doctor diagnosed it as a cold caused by fatigue, but until the last minute she was unsure whether to participate or not. [...]
She also spoke strongly of her enthusiasm for the senior stage she will be moving to next season. "I think every match I play in next season will be my first, so I want to enjoy each and every one and play in as many big matches as possible. My ultimate goal is to compete in the Olympics, so I want to work hard with that as my goal." While she is conscious of first catching up with the senior players, she has set competing in the Olympics as a clear goal.

Rio Nakata article:

【フィギュア】中田璃士「うまくいけば今年中に…」４Ａ挑戦に意欲＆４回転コンプリート宣言 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

フィギュアスケート男子で来季からシニアに転向する中田璃士（りお、17＝TOKIOインカラミ）が、超高難度ジャンプのクワッドアクセル（4回転半）挑戦に意欲を示し… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

Rio Nakata (17, TOKIO Inkarami), a men's figure skater who will be moving to the senior division next season, expressed his desire to attempt the extremely difficult quad axel (four and a half rotations). On the 9th, he returned to Haneda Airport from Europe after completing the World Junior Championships, where he became the first Japanese man to win two consecutive titles. Regarding the difficult jump, which only two-time World Champion Marinin (USA) has managed to pull off, he stated with determination, "No one in Japan has ever landed it. No one has even managed it at the Olympics, so I want to be the first to land it." [...]
His goals for the new season are to win the All Japan Championships for the first time and to be selected for the World Championships. Due to age restrictions, he was not eligible to compete in the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February, but he is already looking ahead to four years from now. "My goal is to win a gold medal at the Olympics. If I can beat myself, the results will follow." He is particularly keen to achieve as many "firsts" as possible. "That's all there is to it. That's where the meaning lies."

Taiga Nishino article:

【フィギュア】世界ジュニア選手権銅の西野太翔「引っ張っていく」中田璃士シニア転向で意欲 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

フィギュアスケート世界ジュニア選手権で銅メダルを獲得した男子の西野太翔（たいが、15＝星槎国際高横浜）が9日、欧州から羽田空港に帰国し、来季へ「世界ジュニアで… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

Taiga Nishino (15, Seisa International High School Yokohama), who won the bronze medal at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, returned to Haneda Airport from Europe on the 9th and renewed his determination for next season, saying, "I want to win the World Junior Championships."
At his first appearance at the World Junior Championships, he improved his personal bests in the short program (SP), free skate, and total score. After placing 4th in the SP, he made a comeback in the free skate by landing a quadruple toe loop and salchow jump, making a comeback and making it onto the podium. Since making a series of mistakes at last December's Junior Grand Prix Final, where he placed 5th out of 6, he has improved his score by nearly 40 points. Concluding a year of great progress with a great performance, he expressed his joy, saying, "I'm really happy to have improved my personal best. I'm also happy about the bronze medal."
He will continue to compete in the junior category next season, and is eager to master the new, highly difficult quadruple Lutz. With Rio Nakata, the first Japanese man to win the World Junior Championships twice in a row, moving up to the senior division, he will be in a position to lead the juniors. "With Nakata gone, I want to do my best to lead the juniors," he said enthusiastically.

Mayuko Oka article:

【フィギュア】世界ジュニア３位の岡万佑子が帰国「すごくうれしい」来季の４回転挑戦にも意欲 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

エストニアで行われたフィギュアスケートの世界ジュニア選手権で銅メダルを獲得した岡万佑子（16＝木下アカデミー）が9日に帰国した。空港で取材に応じた岡は、3位と… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Oka [age 16] reflected with a smile on the competition in which she placed third, saying, "I made a mistake on a jump in the free program, so I wasn't sure until the very end what place I would come in, but I'm very happy that I was able to come in third in the final result."
Oka, who will compete on the junior stage next season, is thinking about incorporating a quadruple jump into his routine. "I can't do it properly yet, but once I can do it, I'll decide whether to include it. Right now I'm practicing the Salchow," he said, showing his enthusiasm for performing with this new weapon.

Cross-posting from the Retirement announcements thread - Wakaba Higuchi announced her retirement on Instagram (March 9):

樋口新葉 / WAKABA HIGUCHI on Instagram: "【ご報告】 この度22年間続けたフィギュアスケート競技を引退いたしました。 今日は3月9日、サンキューの日です。 これまで関わってくださった全ての方々へ感謝を込めて。 本当にたくさんのサポート、応援をありがとうございました。 これからはプロスケーターとして、社会人として新しい人生を進んでいきます。 引き続きアイスショーではこれまで以上におもしろいスケートをお見せできるように頑張っていきたいと思います。 そして、新しいことに

19K likes, 519 comments - wakababy_sk8r on March 8, 2026: "【ご報告】 この度22年間続けたフィギュアスケート競技を引退いたしました。 今日は3月9日、サンキューの日です。 これまで関わってくださった全ての方々へ感謝を込めて。 本当にたくさんのサポート、応援をありがとうございました。 これからはプロスケーターとして、社会人として新しい人生を進んでいきます。 引き続きアイスショーではこれまで以上におもしろいスケートをお見せできるように頑張っていきたいと思います。...

www.instagram.com

Wakaba article:

【フィギュア】引退の樋口新葉がプロ転向表明「おもしろいスケートをお見せできるように頑張る」 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

フィギュアスケートの2022年北京冬季五輪団体銀メダリストで25歳の樋口新葉（ノエビア）が9日、インスタグラムに「22年間続けた競技を引退いたしました。これか… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

She will appear in the ice show [KASSOUYA] "Skating Shop Volume 2," which will be held in Fukuoka City from the 19th to the 22nd of this month and is produced by former world champion Daisuke Takahashi.

 

[YukiNieve]

Someone reminded me that when Wakaba skated to the James Bond Medley — one of my favorite program of hers — and won the silver medal at the 2018 World Championships, she was only 17 years old, the same age as Ami Nakai today.

Wakaba Higuchi Skyfall 2018 WC B.ESP

put your hand in my hand

www.youtube.com

 

[YukiNieve]

It's a paid article, but I think it'd be OK to quote this here since it has been openly talked among Japanese fans:

--
As it's a paid article, I can't summarize it entirely unless a subscriber has gifted it to me (there's a system where subscribers can pay so non-subscribers can read the entire articles), but I can't resist sharing this part of the interview with Rio Nakata, who has just won his second Junior World title:

https://deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp/comment/167216/

- Do you have a favorite skater whose skating and performance you really like?"

Rio: I really like the way Yuzuru Hanyu skates in general, and to the beat. And this is quite a while back, but I really love Joshua Farris's 'Give Me Love'.

- That's pretty cool. How did you find him?

Rio: My dad showed me the video once. When I saw it, I thought he was very good — the way he skated to the beat and rhythm, and how he used the music.


As an all-time Joshua fan, I am so happy to read this. I think that this is probably the video that Rio's dad showed his son:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[YukiNieve]

Here's another article (behind the paywall) about Yuna Aoki and her experience at the Art on Ice. I can't summarize everything, but she did mention that she is still debating whether to continue competing next season.

「じっくり悩んで…」　青木祐奈がスイスで明かした率直な思い | 毎日新聞

フィギュアスケート女子の青木祐奈選手（MFアカデミー）は昨年12月の全日本選手権で自己最高の5位に入り、1月の4大陸選手権（中国）では初出場で優勝。自身も驚く想定外の結果は大きな喜びをもたらすとともに、現役続行か引退か、悩みをさらに深める種にもなった。

mainichi.jp

When asked about her feelings regarding the decision, she smiled and said, "It's a happy problem, isn't it?"

Yuna went straight from the AOI to join the rehearsal for Kassouya, Daisuke's show in Fukuoka, Japan, suitcases in tow.

Cast | 滑走屋オフィシャルサイト

滑走屋に出演するキャストを紹介します。

kassouya.jp