Japan's top stars shined on home ice at the NHK Trophy in Osaka, where Kaori Sakamoto, Yuma Kagiyama, and the Chinese duo Sui Wenjing and Han Cong each took the lead after the short programs in their respective events. Sakamoto, the three-time world champion, opened a commanding near 10-point advantage in the women’s field with a season best 77.05 points, while Kagiyama edged fellow countryman Shun Sato to top the men’s standings with 98.58. In pairs, 2022 Beijing Olympic gold medalists Sui and Han posted 74.63 to narrowly lead Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii. With free skates still to come, all three leaders are poised to turn strong performances into Grand Prix Final berths.

Sakamoto delivered her best performance of the season, scoring 77.05 points for a clean, confident short program that gave her nearly a 10-point cushion over Kazakhstan’s Sofia Samodelkina (67.75) heading into the free skate. Young You of South Korea sits third with 67.66, while Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx is fourth (62.45) after a fall on her triple flip.

Sakamoto, 25, arrived in Osaka looking to rebound from a rare second-place finish at the Grand Prix de France three weeks ago. This weekend marks her final appearance at her home Grand Prix before she retires at the end of the 2025–26 season. The reigning Olympic bronze medalist has already captured four NHK Trophy titles; another win would make it five and cement her status as Japan’s most successful woman in the event’s history.

On the men’s side, Yuma Kagiyama continued Japan’s dominance, earning 98.58 points to take a slim lead over Shun Sato (96.67). The 2022 Olympic silver medalist delivered a precise, high-energy skate highlighted by two clean quads and strong component marks. Korea's Jun-Hwan Cha sits third (91.60), followed by Jin Boyang of China (83.92).

The result extends Kagiyama’s early-season surge. NHK Trophy is Kagiyama's first of two Grand Prix assignments, and the 22-year-old looks every bit the Olympic medal contender he was before injury setbacks slowed his post-Beijing trajectory.

Two Americans also are in the mix: Andrew Torgashev placed eighth (75.75), and Jimmy Ma sits tenth (69.44). Both will look to deliver clean free skates to climb closer to the top six.

The 2022 Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong returned to competition form with a confident short program that scored 74.63 points, giving them a slim edge over Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii (73.69). Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko are third (73.04), with Japan’s Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi close behind in fourth (71.52).

The U.S. pairs delivered solid but imperfect efforts: Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov scored 69.21 for fifth after a one-point deduction, while Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe earned 63.82 for sixth. Both teams remain within striking distance of the top five heading into the free skate.

The ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy continues with the free dance at 10 p.m. ET streaming on Peacock.