The ice may be cold, but the competition at the 2025 Japan Figure Skating Championships was anything but. With a limited number of spots on Japan's Olympic figure skating team up for grabs, this season's national championships proved to be even more cutthroat than ever. The competition also served as a goodbye to several Japanese women who will be retiring from competition after this season, a moment that brought a packed house to Tokyo’s Yoyogi National Stadium to bid them farewell as they performed in their final national championships. 

There's a reason Japan's national championships are considered to be one of the most competitive nationals in the world of figure skating. The level of competition in women's single skating in Japan is so fierce that not even landing a clean triple Axel or achieving a short program score of 74.60 can put a skater in the top three after the short program. With the likes of three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, three-time junior world champion Mao Shimada, world bronze medalist Mone Chiba, world silver medalist Wakaba Higuchi, and Grand Prix Final silver medalist Ami Nakai facing off for the coveted three spots on Japan's Olympic figure skating team, the competition was bound to be entertaining, and nationals certainly lived up to that expectation. 

With Sakamoto, Higuchi, and Mai Mihara all announcing this season as their last, the competition marked a bittersweet passing of the torch to 17-year-olds Shimada and Nakai. Despite her impending retirement, Sakamoto wasn't ready to step aside just yet. In one of the more dramatic short programs of the championships, Sakamoto finished first ahead of Shimada, who landed her signature triple Axel, by just one-tenth of a point. Nakai (77.50) placed third while Chiba (74.60), Mayuko Oka (73.20), and Rinka Watanabe (71.36) rounded out the top six. 

Triple Axels, attempted quads, and heightened emotions were the story of the free skate, as the skaters took to the ice with a chance to skate in Milan within grasp. After it was all over, Sakamoto stood alone as the 2025 Japanese national champion. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as she closed out her free skate to Edith Piaf's Hymne à l’Amour, scoring an unofficial season's best of 154.93 points to automatically qualify for the Olympic team. Sakamoto will be the only female Japanese figure skater to compete in three Olympic Games. 

Shimada (228.08) placed second after falling on her attempted quadruple toe loop while Chiba (216.24) placed third. It was a glimpse into the future of Japanese figure skating, as Sakamoto stood flanked by the two 17-year-olds on the podium. Although Shimada finished on the podium, she is not eligible for Olympic competition in 2026 given she missed the age eligibility cut-off date. Nakai (213.56), who placed fourth, was selected in her stead to represent Japan in Milan alongside Sakamoto and Chiba. All three skaters on the Olympic team skated in the Grand Prix Final earlier this season in what could have been a preview of what to expect come February. 

Yuma Kagiyama proved his Olympic worth after he successfully defended his national title with two outstanding skates. The Olympic silver medalist finished first in the short program with a nine-point lead over Kao Miura (95.65), although he fell short of his personal best of 108.77 scored at the Grand Prix Final due to an uncharacteristic misstep after landing his triple Axel. World junior champion Rio Nakata (89.91) finished third in the short after hanging onto his triple Axel, while Grand Prix Final bronze medalist Shun Sato (87.99) placed fifth. 

Pressure hit an all-time high during the free skate if the abundance of errors was any indication. Kagiyama (287.95) emerged as the 2025 Japanese national champion once more despite a fall on his quadruple toe loop late into the second half of his program. Sato (276.75) showed his fighting spirit with a near-perfect free skate save for a slight step out on his last triple Lutz. The 21-year-old finished second while Miura (261.18) placed third, rounding out the men selected for Japan's Olympic team. 

Kagiyama will be looking to potentially challenge Ilia Malinin (USA) for Olympic gold in Milan after taking silver behind Nathan Chen (USA) four years ago in Beijing. This will be the first Olympic Games for Sato and Miura.

In an unexpected turn of events, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara were forced to withdraw from the free skate after Miura re-injured her shoulder during short program warm-ups. The pair skated through the injury in the short, finishing first out of the three competing pairs. Despite withdrawing from the competition, Miura/Kihara were selected for the Olympic team due to their dominance on the international stage. While it is necessary to participate in nationals to qualify for Olympic selection, if a skater(s) faces an unforeseen circumstance like an injury and won a medal at the world championships, they still are eligible to be selected for the Games, per Japan's figure skating rules. The pair won their second world title last season, marking them eligible for selection. 

Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi (215.30) took home their second national title after finishing well above Ayumi Kagotani and Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda (133.47). It is unclear if Miura, who claimed silver alongside Kihara in the team event in Beijing, will be cleared to skate by February. 

Ice dance is the one figure skating event Japan lacks consistency in. There have been those like Kana Muramoto, who saw some podium success in the past few years with partners Hiroichi Noguchi and Chris Reed. However, for the most part, Japan's figure skating concentration lies in men's and women's singles. Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita may change that in the Olympic team event in 2026. Yoshida/Morita (172.29) won their national title comfortably over Ikura Kushida and Koshiro Shimada (165.75). The duo was selected for the Olympic team, where they only will compete in the team event given they were unable to secure a spot for individual competition in Milan.