Japanese figure skating 2026-27 season news & updates

[spin2win]

Mone Chiba withdrew from this weekend's Kinoshita Summer Cup, source is skater herself (https://x.com/skatejapanews/status/2084967808824221794?s=20)

Apparently she has a right ankle injury for a month now

千葉百音がサマーカップを欠場　右足首捻挫で調整を優先 | 毎日新聞

フィギュアスケート女子で世界選手権2大会連続メダル獲得中の千葉百音選手（木下グループ）が、今季初戦にエントリーしていたサマーカップ（9～12日、滋賀・木下カンセーアイスアリーナ）を欠場することになった。5日、所属マネジメントが発表した。関係者によると先月に右足首を捻挫した影響が残っており、9月には

mainichi.jp

 

[spin2win]

Mayuko Oka and Sota Yamamoto also withdrew from Summer Cup; Oka is still injured

Kihira/Nishiyama, Kushida/Shimada, Yamashita/Nagata were added to CS Kinoshita entries, looks like they were the top of the NHK selection test skate that apparently happened last weekend

 

[YukiNieve]

SF announced today the list of Japanese skaters they plan to send for CS Kinoshita Group Cup (Sep 4-6, 2026) in Tokyo. They are sending their top skaters!

3 Japanese ice dance teams have been added to the roster of CS Kinoshita Group Cup :

Rika Kihira/Mako Nishiyama
Ikura Kushida/Koshiro Shimada
Kaho Yamashita/Yuto Nagata

公益財団法人日本スケート連盟 Japan Skating Federation (@skatingjapan) on X

ISUチャレンジャーシリーズフィギュアスケート木下グループ杯2026 アイスダンス日本代表選手がエントリーに追加されました 紀平梨花 / 西山真瑚 組 櫛田育良 / 島田高志郎 組 山下珂歩 / 永田裕人 組 その他海外選手エントリーについても近日中に発表します チケット🎫好評発売中‼

x.com

 

[YukiNieve]

Kinoshita Summer Cup (Aug 9-12) - Shiga
-Mone Chiba, Mayuko Oka,Sota Yamamoto withdrew due to minor injuries.

Schedule (in Japanese)

｜Japan Skating Federation Official Results & Data Site｜

www.jsfresults.com

Senior Men SP results (top 10)
1. Nozomu Yoshioka
2. Kazuki Tomono
3. Shuntaro Asaga
4. Sena Miyake
5. Masaya Mishima
6. Yuki Yoshioka
7. Ryoga Motimoto
8. Kao Miura
9. Shunsuke Nakamura
10. Ryusei Kikuchi

Judge detail scores:

https://www.jsfresults.com/local/2026-2027/fs/25/911/FSKMSINGLES---------01QUAL000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

 

[Karen-W]

Yuna Nagaoka was in a car accident and suffered a broken/fractured (the Google translation of the news article says "fractured", but the X translation for the account that shared the link says "broken") leg, so they've withdrawn from CS Kinoshita Group Cup.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/6f3e043071ea0c7bf6fad4138a01ec626fac380a

https://twitter.com/x/status/2086699413284810815

 

[Sylvia]

Kinoshita Summer Cup Women SP top 8:
Mao Shimada 81.81 (3A, 3F, 3Lz+3T) - ETA JSports’ highlights video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db3MCUdCOG7/
Yuna Aoki 78.83 - clip via JSports: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db2fmnCiK6B/
Mako Yamashita 68.12
Rion Sumiyoshi 67.35
Saki Miyake 67.33
Rinka Watanabe 65.49
Rino Matsuike 61.82
Mana Kawabe 57.05
Protoocols: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/20...----01QUAL000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

Junior Women SP top 4:
Hana Ishizaki [Bath AUS] 64.12 (3F+2T, 2A, 3Lz)
Mei Okada 63.05
Sumika Kanazawa 62.50
Karin Miyazaki 60.35
Protocols: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/20...OR--01QUAL000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

ETA playlist of videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbCs0HXvaMiw

 

[spin2win]

nice programs all around, although I was a little taken aback by Mako Yamashita making "Bring Me to Life" sound like very happy music

 

[Sylvia]

JSports’ highlights video of Shimada's SP:

J SPORTS on Instagram: "80点超え！島田麻央選手が氷上で魅せる圧巻のパフォーマンス 美しさと強さが交差した瞬間 Mao Shimada Where grace meets power❄️🧚🏼‍♀️ Witness the magic on ice. --------------- SP 点数 81.81 --------------- 木下カンセープレゼンツ サマーカップ2026 フィギュアスケート競技会⛸️ 8/10(月) 選手権女子ショートプログラム(SP)

412 likes, 2 comments - jsports_official on August 10, 2026: "80点超え！島田麻央選手が氷上で魅せる圧巻のパフォーマンス 美しさと強さが交差した瞬間 Mao Shimada Where grace meets power❄️🧚🏼‍♀️ Witness the magic on ice. --------------- SP 点数 81.81 --------------- 木下カンセープレゼンツ サマーカップ2026 フィギュアスケート競技会⛸️ 8/10(月) 選手権女子ショートプログラム(SP)は　 J...

www.instagram.com

This interview with Rika Kihira on her 24th birthday (July 21) reveals Kihira/Shingo Nishiyama's 2026-27 program music: https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/396561 [...]
RD chose "Golden Hour" and "this is what falling in love feels like," collaborations between JVKE and Fujii Kaze [remix]. Kihira said excitedly, "I couldn't think of any classic waltz songs, but 'golden hour' was already on my playlist. I'm so happy to be able to skate to a song I love."
FD selected "Mon Dieu" and "Song for the Little Sparrow." "(Nishiyama) Shingo came up with the idea. We talked about wanting to give a more mature performance than last year. Since it's a love story, we want to express a romantic feeling," she said enthusiastically.

Rika shared a 2-minute FD practice video today:

Rika Kihira 紀平梨花 on Instagram: "FD / Mon Dieu Practice practice.."

rikaskate0721 on August 10, 2026: "FD / Mon Dieu Practice practice..".

www.instagram.com

ETA that Shingo shared 2 short clips from their "Golden Hour" RD (slides 2 & 3): https://www.instagram.com/p/Db1cK8PGhDE/?img_index=2

 

[kwanette]

Yuna Aoki is a gift to skating.

 

[Sylvia]

Kinoshita Summer Cup Junior Women final top 5:

1 Hana Ishizaki [BATH AUS] MF Figure Skating Academy 195.82 1 1 (131.70 - 3A+3T, 3A, 3Lz+Eu+3S+2A+SEQ, 3Lz, 3F!q fall, 3Lo; both spins L4) - just posted an article in the AUS news thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...igure-skating-news.111595/page-4#post-6945329
2 Mei Okada Kinoshita Academy 179.52 2 2
3 Sumika Kanazawa Kinoshita Academy 169.74 3 4
4 Kaho Koseki Kinoshita Academy 163.57 5 5
5 Kei Yamada Kinoshita Academy 162.73 9 3
WD Karin Miyazaki MF Figure Skating Academy 60.35 4 (hope she's ok? her JGP debut is just over a week away)

FS protocols: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/20...OR--01FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

 

[Sylvia]

Fan favorite Kosho Oshima won the Kanto Summer Trophy this past weekend - from his 1st place FS protocol (156.84 - 4T<, 3A+Eu+3S+2A seq., 3A, 3Lz+3T, 3F!, 3Lz): https://www.jsfresults.com/local/2026-2027/fs/14/939/attach/14_939_12_20260811210945.pdf

Article after his FS:

【フィギュア】大島光翔「この曲を使わせてもらうからには」MJメドレーで４回転初成功させ優勝 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

全日本選手権6大会連続出場の大島光翔（23＝富士薬品）が、栄冠を飾った。スコアは合計226・83で自己ベストを更新した。9日のショートプログラム首位で迎えたフ… - 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

Kosho Oshima (23, Fuji Yakuhin), who was competing in his sixth consecutive All Japan Championships, claimed the title. His total score of 226.83 was a new personal best.
Entering the free skate on the 9th in first place after the short program, he successfully landed his first quadruple toe loop for the first time. He was met with cheers from the audience [...]
Originally, he had planned to do a triple Lutz. However, when he tried it during the six-minute warm-up just before his performance, he said with a smile, "I landed a good one, and it really motivated me."
He appeared in a bright red dress shirt and performed a "Michael Jackson medley." There were moments when he hyped up the audience, just like the "King of Pop" who captivated the world.
Her favorite is "Bad," one of their famous songs. Oshima says, "After all the combination jumps are done, it's time to dance and enjoy my own time to the fullest."
I learned expressive skills by watching videos of global stars. "Because of that level of performance quality, I feel that I absolutely cannot present anything subpar when using this song. I feel a sense of responsibility since I'm being given the opportunity to use this song."
In order to excite the audience, he is now determined to master the quadruple Lutz and flip jumps.
"My biggest goal is to become a member of the Japanese national team. I think that once I've mastered the quadruple jump, it will come down to a competition of quality. I think I need to improve the finer details beyond the elements, so I hope to raise my overall level and be ready for the All Japan Championships (in December)."
I am working hard to become a truly unique artist.

Article after the SP:

【フィギュア】大島光翔が今季初戦１位「良いところを見せたいと思った」予定外の４回転挑戦 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

全日本選手権6大会連続出場の大島光翔（23＝富士薬品）が今季初戦に臨んだ。スコアは69・99点で首位発進。村元哉中氏が振り付けした新プログラム「Leave A… - 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

"... first place with a score of 69.99 points [2T*, 3A, 3Lz+3T]. He performed to his new program "Leave A Light On," choreographed by Kana Muramoto. [...]
This season's short program was designed with the intention of incorporating a quadruple toe loop. "I want to get to the point where I can challenge with that program," he said, expressing his enthusiasm. He said that he has been able to consistently land the difficult jump, which he also attempted at the All Japan Championships last December, from June to July. "I think mastering the quadruple jump was a big step forward in terms of visible progress," he said, feeling that he has grown.
He is also inspired by Shun Sato (22, Aim Services), the bronze medalist at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February, who practices on the same rink. "Seeing the skater closest to me perform on the big stage has inspired me," he revealed, and smiled, adding, "It's a burning desire, but I also feel proud, thinking, 'How's our Shun doing?'"
This season, he was selected as a reinforced athlete by the Japan Skating Federation, and he expressed his satisfaction, saying, "It makes me even more determined, and I'm able to approach practice with a high level of motivation." "I practice every day with the desire to wear the 'JAPAN' jersey and see the word 'JAPAN' on it." Aiming to represent Japan, he is striving for even greater success.

 

[Sylvia]

Kinoshita Summer Cup Senior Men final standings: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/2026-2027/fs/25/911/CAT001RS.htm
Top 10:
1 Nozomu Yoshioka 233.84 1 2 - 146.46 in FS (4T+3T, 3Lz, 3A+Eu+2S+2A seq., 4T<< fall, 3A, 3F!); SP clips by JSports: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db4jyKTi8im/
2 Kazuki Tomono 228.47 2 1 - 152.90 in FS (4S, 2T, 3A+2T-, 3Lz-, 3A+Eu+3S+2A seq., 3Fq; steps & 1 spin L4); SP clips by JSports: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db4_HwfCEUj/
3 Kao Miura 203.37 8 3 - 136.00 in FS (4S, 2T<< fall, 3A, 3A+Eu+2F+2A seq., 2T, 3Lo)
4 Sena Miyake 203.27 4 4
5 Shuntaro Asaga 196.40 3 7 - SP clips by JSports: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db5DjpFCCai/
6 Ryoga Morimoto 192.53 7 6
7 Ryusei Kikuchi 192.24 10 5
8 末国 太樹 Taiki Suekuni (?) Okayama University of Science 178.35 11 8
9 Shunsuke Nakamura 177.67 9 9
10 Yuki Yoshioka 167.54 6 14
...
14 Masaya Mishima 160.52 5 16
FS protocols: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/20...----01FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

Junior Men SP top 8: https://x.com/skatejapanews/status/2087157034064003233
Shun Uemura 73.13 (3A, 3Lz, 2F!+3T)
Daiya Ebihara 71.68 - SP clips of "Masquerade Waltz" by JSports: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db6_ickJNH1/
Seigo Tauchi 71.43 - "Fascinating Rhythm" SP (last season's music): https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db5NoP1NdRW/
Sena Takahashi 69.64 - SP clips of "East of Eden" by JSports: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db6xxBjT8t-/
Ryoto Mori 68.54
Skylar Kaisei Daley 64.70
Rihito Obayashi 64.36
Riku Sakuma 63.96
SP protocols: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/20...OR--01QUAL000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

ETA - Kazuki Tomono finishes second: "Both my good and bad points came out." He successfully landed a quadruple Salchow at the start of his program.

【フィギュア】友野一希は２位「良いところも悪いところも出た」冒頭で４回転サルコー成功 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

フィギュアスケートのサマーカップ第3日が11日、大津市・木下カンセーアイスアリーナで行われ、男子で世界選手権3度出場の友野一希（28＝第一住建グループ）は総合… - 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

ETA 2:

スポニチ写真映像部公式インスタグラム on Instagram: "〈サマーカップ2026男子〉表彰式の友野一希、吉岡希、三浦佳生（撮影・長久保　豊）"

339 likes, 0 comments - sponichitokyophoto on August 11, 2026: "〈サマーカップ2026男子〉表彰式の友野一希、吉岡希、三浦佳生（撮影・長久保　豊）".

www.instagram.com

 

[Sylvia]

ETA - playlist from earlier has since been updated with Junior & Senior women's SP & FS videos (scroll down for FS): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbCs0HXvaMiw

Kinoshita Summer Cup Women final standings: https://x.com/skatejapanews/status/2087518156214407639
1 Mao Shimada 220.58 1 1 (138.77 in FS [76.23 TES/62.54 PCS] - 3A, 4Tq, 3Lz<+3T<, 3F+3T+2A seq., 3Lo<, 3Lz) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ-n8Bfrh-I
2 Yuna Aoki 214.35 2 2 (135.52 [69.66/65.86] - 3Lz+2Lo, 3Sq, 3T, 2A+Eu+3F+2A seq., 3Lz, 3Fq) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGMeUtq2n54
3 Saki Miyake 201.07 5 3 (133.74 [72.57/61.17] - 3Lo, 3T+3T, 3Lz, 3F, 3Lo+2A+2A seq., 3S) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eycsIQtQnNo
4 Mako Yamashita 188.61 3 4
5 Rion Sumiyoshi 171.58 4 7
6 Chikako Saegusa 163.22 13 5
7 Rinka Watanabe 161.23 6 11
8 Kinayu Yokoi 159.16 16 6 (Yuhana's younger sister)
9 Haruna Iwasaki 154.22 12 8
10 Chiyono Nagami 152.58 9 10
11 Yurina Okuno 152.00 10 9
12 Mana Kawabe 149.79 8 13
13 Miyabi Oba 147.90 11 14
14 Sakurako Tanabe 145.96 15 12
15 横田 胡幸 Koyuki Yokota(?) 135.57 23 15
16 Noa Hozumi 132.94 20 17
17 Sae Shimizu 132.40 21 16
...
25 Yo Takagi 46.65 (DNQ)
WD after SP: Rino Matsuike 7
Protocols: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/20...----01FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

スポニチ写真映像部公式インスタグラム on Instagram: "〈サマーカップ2026女子表彰式〉🥇島田麻央🥈青木祐奈🥉三宅咲綺④山下真瑚⑤住吉りをん⑥三枝知香子（撮影・長久保　豊）＝先ほどトリミングミスをしてしまいました。"

919 likes, 1 comments - sponichitokyophoto on August 12, 2026: "〈サマーカップ2026女子表彰式〉🥇島田麻央🥈青木祐奈🥉三宅咲綺④山下真瑚⑤住吉りをん⑥三枝知香子（撮影・長久保　豊）＝先ほどトリミングミスをしてしまいました。".

www.instagram.com

Junior Men final top 7:
1 Shun Uemura 199.34 1 1 (126.21 in FS - 3S, 3A+2T, 3A, 1Lo, 2Lz!+Eu+3S+2A seq., 2F)
2 Seigo Tauchi 195.19 3 2 - FS to "In This Shirt": https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db7yagtNPZ6/
3 Daiya Ebihara 192.60 2 5 - assigned to JGP #1 in Xi'an
4 Ryoto Mori 191.09 5 4
5 Rihito Obayashi 187.10 7 3
6 Sena Takahashi 181.22 4 7
7 Riku Sakuma 177.91 8 6
FS protocols: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/20...OR--01FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

スポニチ写真映像部公式インスタグラム on Instagram: "〈サマーカップ2026ジュニア男子〉表彰式（撮影・長久保　豊）"

322 likes, 1 comments - sponichitokyophoto on August 11, 2026: "〈サマーカップ2026ジュニア男子〉表彰式（撮影・長久保　豊）".

www.instagram.com

ETA article with quotes from Uemura:

【フィギュア】植村駿が優勝「ジュニアGPファイナルいけるように」２位田内誠悟、３位蛯原大弥 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

全日本選手権2年連続出場の植村駿（17ー就実学園）が合計199・34点で優勝した。首位だったショートプログラム（SP）に続き、フリーも全体1位の126・21点… - 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

 

[Sylvia]

Yuna Aoki article (Aug. 12):

【フィギュア】青木祐奈、合計214.35点で２位「大きなミスなく滑り切れた」表現力で魅了 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

1月の4大陸選手権女王の青木祐奈（24＝日本建物管財）が今季初戦に臨み、合計214・35点で2位となった。ショートプログラム（SP）に続いて、フリーも2位の1… - 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

Performing to her new free program, "Cirque du Soleil," she delivered a fast-paced and powerful performance. She topped the overall rankings in both step sequences and program component scores, which reflect her expressive abilities. While she captivated the audience with her characteristic expressiveness, she also reflected, "I have to admit that I got more tired than I had practiced."
This season, she has entered the first event of the Grand Prix series, the French Grand Prix, and the sixth event, the NHK Trophy, which begin in October. The 24-year-old, whose strength lies in her expressiveness, showed her ambition to improve, saying, "I'm good at skating beautifully, but I haven't yet been able to skate in a way that conveys power just by skating, like Kaori Sakamoto. I want to keep exploring and working on that in practice."

Kao Miura article (Aug. 11):

【フィギュア】三浦佳生、世界王者マリニンのもとへ武者修行「勉強できたら」約２週間ともに練習 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

2月のミラノ・コルティナオリンピック（五輪）13位の三浦佳生（かお、21＝明治大）が、男子で世界選手権3連覇のイリア・マリニン（米国）の練習拠点へ武者修行する… - 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

He revealed that he will be going to Virginia, USA for two weeks starting next week to apprentice under Malinin, explaining, (Malinin) enters every jump from the same motion and jumps smoothly. I hope to learn that from him." He said he had made the request himself when they performed together in ice shows during the off-season, and will mainly focus on improving his jumps.