Japan Figure Skating Championships
Annual national figure skating competition
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The Japan Figure Skating Championships (Japanese: 全日本フィギュアスケート選手権) are an annual figure skating competition organised by the Japan Skating Federation (Japanese: 日本スケート連盟) to crown the national champions of Japan. Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior level, although not every discipline is held every year due to a lack of participants. Junior-level skaters compete at the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships. The results are among the criteria used to determine the Japanese entries to the World Figure Skating Championships, World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and Winter Olympics, as well as the members of the Japanese national team.
| Japan Figure Skating Championships | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | National championships |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Country | |
Previous event | 2025–26 Japan Championships |
Next event | 2026-27 Japan Championships |
| Organized by | Japan Skating Federation |
Nobuo Satō currently holds the record for winning the most Japan Championship titles in men's singles (with ten), while Midori Ito holds the record in women's singles (with nine). Narumi Takahashi and Ryuichi Kihara are tied for winning the most championship titles in pair skating (with six each), and while two of those titles were won as partners, the others were won with different partners. Chris Reed holds the record in ice dance (with ten), although those were also won with different partners.
History
The Japanese Skating Association was formed in 1920. In the beginning, figure skating in Japan was dominated by men, as very few Japanese women skated.[1] The first figure skating championships were held in Japan in 1920 in Suwa, and were won by M. Godai. The first ice rink in Japan was constructed in Osaka in 1923. Japan joined the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1924.[2]
Senior medalists
Men's singles
Women's singles
Pairs
| Season | Location | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955–56 | Kyoto |
|
No other competitors | ||
| 1956–57 | Tokyo |
|
|
No other competitors | [7] |
| 1957–58 | [42] | ||||
| 1958–59 | Osaka |
|
|
| |
| 1959–60 | Tokyo |
|
No other competitors | [43] | |
| 1960–61 |
|
|
|
[42] | |
| 1961–62 | Osaka |
|
No other competitors | ||
| 1962–63 | Tokyo | ||||
| 1963–64 |
| ||||
| 1964–66 | No pairs competitors | ||||
| 1966–67 | Tokyo |
|
No other competitors | ||
| 1967–68 |
|
No other competitors | |||
| 1968–69 | No other competitors | ||||
| 1969–70 | Osaka | ||||
| 1970–71 | Tokyo | ||||
| 1971–72 | Sapporo | ||||
| 1972–73 | Osaka |
| |||
| 1973–75 | No pairs competitors | ||||
| 1975–76 | Tokyo |
|
|
| |
| 1976–77 |
| ||||
| 1977–78 | Kyoto |
|
| ||
| 1978–79 | Tokyo |
|
|
| |
| 1979–80 |
|
|
| ||
| 1980–81 |
|
No other competitors | |||
| 1981–86 | No pairs competitors | ||||
| 1986–87 |
|
|
No other competitors | ||
| 1987–88 | |||||
| 1988–89 |
|
No other competitors | |||
| 1989–90 | Kitakyushu | No pairs competitors | |||
| 1990–91 | Yokohama | No other competitors | |||
| 1991–92 | Kobe | ||||
| 1992–93 | Nagoya | ||||
| 1993–94 | Yokohama | ||||
| 1994–96 | No pairs competitors | ||||
| 1996–97 | Nagano |
|
|
| |
| 1997–98 | Kobe | No other competitors | [11] | ||
| 1998–99 | Yokohama | No pairs competitors | [12] | ||
| 1999–2000 | Fukuoka |
|
No other competitors | [13] | |
| 2000–01 | Nagano | [14] | |||
| 2001–02 | Osaka |
|
No other competitors | [15] | |
| 2002–03 | Kyoto | [16] | |||
| 2003–04 | Nagano | No pairs competitors | [17] | ||
| 2004–05 | Yokohama |
|
No other competitors | [18] | |
| 2005–08 | No pairs competitors | ||||
| 2008–09 | Nagano | No other competitors | [22] | ||
| 2009–10 | Osaka | [23] | |||
| 2010–11 | Nagano | [24] | |||
| 2011–12 | Osaka | [25] | |||
| 2012–13 | Sapporo | No pairs competitors | [26] | ||
| 2013–14 | Saitama | No other competitors | [27] | ||
| 2014–15 | Nagano | [28] | |||
| 2015–16 | Sapporo |
|
[29] | ||
| 2016–17 | Osaka |
|
[30] | ||
| 2017–18 | Tokyo | [31] | |||
| 2018–19 | Osaka | No other competitors | [32] | ||
| 2019–20 | Tokyo | [33] | |||
| 2020–21 | Nagano | No pairs competitors | [34] | ||
| 2021–22 | Saitama |
|
No other competitors | [35] | |
| 2022–23 | Osaka | [36] | |||
| 2023–24 | Nagano | [37] | |||
| 2024–25 | Osaka | [38] | |||
| 2025–26 | Tokyo |
|
No other competitors | [39] | |
Ice dance
| Season | Location | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–57 | Tokyo |
|
|
|
[44] |
| 1957–58 | |||||
| 1958–59 | Osaka |
| |||
| 1959–60 | Tokyo |
|
| ||
| 1960–61 |
| ||||
| 1961–62 | Osaka | No other competitors | |||
| 1962–63 | Tokyo | ||||
| 1963–64 |
|
| |||
| 1964–65 | Osaka |
|
|
No other competitors | |
| 1965–66 | Tomakomai |
|
| ||
| 1966–67 | Tokyo | ||||
| 1967–68 |
|
No other competitors | |||
| 1968–69 |
|
|
| ||
| 1969–70 | Osaka |
|
|
No other competitors | |
| 1970–71 | Tokyo |
|
| ||
| 1971–72 | Sapporo | No other competitors | |||
| 1972–73 | Osaka |
| |||
| 1973–74 | Kyoto |
|
|
No other competitors | |
| 1974–75 | Hiroshima |
|
|
| |
| 1975–76 | Tokyo |
|
| ||
| 1976–77 |
|
| |||
| 1977–78 | Kyoto |
|
|
| |
| 1978–79 | Tokyo |
|
|
| |
| 1979–80 |
| ||||
| 1980–81 |
|
| |||
| 1981–82 |
|
||||
| 1982–83 |
| ||||
| 1983–84 |
| ||||
| 1984–85 |
| ||||
| 1985–86 |
|
| |||
| 1986–87 | |||||
| 1987–88 |
|
| |||
| 1988–89 |
|
|
| ||
| 1989–90 | Kitakyushu | ||||
| 1990–91 | Yokohama | ||||
| 1991–92 | Kobe |
| |||
| 1992–93 | Nagoya |
|
|
| |
| 1993–94 | Yokohama |
|
| ||
| 1994–95 | Kobe |
| |||
| 1995–96 | Yokohama |
| |||
| 1996–97 | Nagano |
|
[10] | ||
| 1997–98 | Kobe |
|
[11] | ||
| 1998–99 | Yokohama | [12] | |||
| 1999–2000 | Fukuoka | [13] | |||
| 2000–01 | Nagano | [14] | |||
| 2001–02 | Osaka |
|
[15] | ||
| 2002–03 | Kyoto | [16] | |||
| 2003–04 | Nagano |
|
[17] | ||
| 2004–05 | Yokohama |
|
[18] | ||
| 2005–06 | Tokyo | [19] | |||
| 2006–07 | Nagoya | [20] | |||
| 2007–08 | Osaka | No other competitors | [21] | ||
| 2008–09 | Nagano |
|
|
[22] | |
| 2009–10 | Osaka |
|
No other competitors | [23] | |
| 2010–11 | Nagano | [24] | |||
| 2011–12 | Osaka |
|
|
[25] | |
| 2012–13 | Sapporo |
|
[26] | ||
| 2013–14 | Saitama |
|
[27] | ||
| 2014–15 | Nagano |
|
[28] | ||
| 2015–16 | Sapporo |
|
[29] | ||
| 2016–17 | Osaka | [30] | |||
| 2017–18 | Tokyo | [31] | |||
| 2018–19 | Osaka |
|
|
[32] | |
| 2019–20 | Tokyo |
|
[33] | ||
| 2020–21 | Nagano | [34] | |||
| 2021–22 | Saitama |
|
[35] | ||
| 2022–23 | Osaka |
|
[36] | ||
| 2023–24 | Nagano | [37] | |||
| 2024–25 | Osaka |
|
[38] | ||
| 2025–26 | Tokyo | [39] | |||
- Notes
- Pvt. Jack B. Jost was invited to compete in the Japan Championships while he was stationed in Japan with the United States Army.[5]
- While Masami Kobayashi, Tatsutaro Tanaka, and Shuichi Sugimoto did compete in the 1953–54 Japan Championships, none achieved the minimum required score to be named the Japanese Champion.
Records
| Discipline | Most championship titles | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skater(s) | No. | Years | Ref. | |
| Men's singles | Nobuo Satō | 10 | 1956/57 – 1965/66 | [45] |
| Women's singles | Midori Ito | 9 | 1984/85 – 1991/92; 1995/96 |
[41] |
| Pairs | Ryuichi Kihara[a] | 6 | 2013/14 – 2014/15; 2017/18 – 2019/20; 2024/25 |
[46][47] [48] |
| Narumi Takahashi[b] | 2008/09 – 2011/12; 2013/14 – 2014/15 |
[48][49] | ||
| Ice dance | Chris Reed[c] | 10 | 2007/08 – 2010/11; 2012/13 – 2017/18 |
[50][51] |
- Notes
- Ryuichi Kihara has won two championship titles while partnered with Narumi Takahashi (2013/14–2014/15), two with Miu Suzaki (2017/18–2018/19), and two with Riku Miura (2019/20, 2024/25).
- Narumi Takahashi has won four championship titles while partnered with Mervin Tran (2008/09–2011/12) and two with Ryuichi Kihara (2013/14–2014/15).
- Chris Reed has won seven championship titles while partnered with Cathy Reed (2007/08–2010/11, 2012/13–2014/15) and three with Kana Muramoto (2015/16–2017/18).