2022-23 Japanese National Qualifying Competitions & Other Domestic Events
SYWTW FS
Summary of 2022-23 Japanese domestic competitions. Links to information and results will be updated throughout the season. Events are also available on our calendar.
Reference: 2022-23 JSF National Competitions, 2022-23 Advancement Quota
See also: 2022-23 Nationals tag
Last updated: Feb. 3, 2023
QUALIFYING STRUCTURE
Skaters qualify for the Japanese National Championships by competing at one of six regional (or “block”) championships and one of two sectional championships (Eastern and Western). Top finishers at regionals advance to sectionals, and top finishers at sectionals advance to nationals. The number of qualifying skaters in each discipline and competition is determined annually by the JSF.
Japan holds three separate national championships for three different levels: novice, junior, and senior. There are two categories of novice, Novice A (older) and Novice B (younger). To qualify for Novice Nationals, skaters compete in the novice category at regional championships. Novice skaters perform only free skates and do not compete at sectionals. To qualify for Junior Nationals, skaters compete in the junior category at regionals and sectionals, and to qualify for Senior Nationals, skaters compete in the senior category at regionals and sectionals. Top finishers at Novice Nationals are invited to participate in Junior Nationals, and top finishers at Junior Nationals are invited to compete at Senior Nationals. Due to small field sizes, pair and ice dance teams usually do not compete at regionals, only sectionals.
Seeded skaters are chosen by the JSF to advance directly to Nationals without competing at qualifying competitions. Generally, medalists at the previous National Championships are seeded. Seeded skaters can still compete at regionals/sectionals if they want to, but they will not count towards the quota of skaters who advance. Seeded skaters for the 2022-23 season are:
Junior women: Mao Shimada, Mone Chiba
Junior men: Nozomu Yoshioka
Senior women: Kaori Sakamoto, Wakaba Higuchi, Mana Kawabe
Senior men: Shoma Uno, Yuma Kagiyama
Senior pairs: Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara
Senior ice dance: Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto, Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi
Skaters who would normally need to compete at regionals/sectionals may be exempt from doing so if they have an international competition during or close to their qualifying event.
The maximum number of singles skaters who can qualify for the junior or senior National Championships is 30 women and 30 men. For the 2022-23 season, the top 8 finishers in the singles disciplines at Junior Nationals will be invited to Senior Nationals.
REGIONAL/SECTIONAL/NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Regionals and Sectionals will be livestreamed on Fuji on Demand. Entries are subject to change.
Kanto Regionals
Time and place: Sept. 23-25, Nikko
Level and disciplines: novice, junior, senior men, women
Advance to: Eastern Sectionals
Advancement quota: 11 junior women, 7 junior men, 4 senior women, 4 senior men
Notable entries: Senior - Shiika Yoshioka
Chubu Regionals
Time and place: Sept. 23-25, Nagoya
Level and disciplines: novice, junior, senior men, women
Advance to: Western Sectionals
Advancement quota: 8 junior women, 7 junior men, 13 senior women, 6 senior men
Notable entries: Senior - Sota Yamamoto, Chisato Uramatsu, Mako Yamashita, Mana Kawabe, Kinayu Yokoi, Rino Matsuike, Rika Kihira, Miyabi Oba, Yuhana Yokoi
Chu-Shikoku-Kyushu Regionals
Time and place: Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, Okayama
Level and disciplines: novice, junior, senior men, women
Advance to: Western Sectionals
Advancement quota: 6 junior women, 9 junior men, 7 senior women, 10 senior men
Notable entries: Senior - Chiyono Nagami, Saki Miyake, Hina Takeno
Tokyo Regionals
Time and place: Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, Nishitokyo
Level and disciplines: novice, junior, senior men, women
Advance to: Eastern Sectionals
Advancement quota: 12 junior women, 16 junior men, 21 senior women, 20 senior men
Notable entries: Senior - Koshiro Shimada, Shun Sato, Kao Miura, Rinka Watanabe, Yuna Aoki, Akari Matsubara, Maria Egawa, Marin Honda, Rion Sumiyoshi
Tohoku-Hokkaido Regionals
Time and place: Oct. 8-9, Hachinohe
Level and disciplines: novice, junior, senior men, women
Advance to: Eastern Sectionals
Advancement quota: 7 junior women, 6 junior men, 5 senior women, 6 senior men
Kinki Regionals
Time and place: Oct. 8-10, Amagasaki
Level and disciplines: novice, junior, senior men, women
Advance to: Western Sectionals
Advancement quota: 16 junior women, 13 junior men, 10 senior women, 14 senior men
Notable entries: Senior - Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda, Sumitada Moriguchi, Kazuki Tomono, Mitsuki Sumoto, Sena Miyake, Yuto Kishina, Tatsuya Tsuboi, Ayumi Kagotani, Mai Mihara. Junior - Azusa Tanaka, Ikura Kushida
Novice National Championships
Time and place: Oct. 21-23, Sapporo
Level and disciplines: Novice A & Novice B men, women, ice dance
Western Sectionals
Time and place: Oct. 27-30, Kyoto
Level and disciplines: junior & senior men, women, ice dance
Advance to: Nationals
Advancement quota: 12 junior women, 16 junior men, 7 senior women, 10 senior men
Notable entries: Senior - Mitsuki Sumoto, Sumitada Moriguchi, Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda, Tatsuya Tsuboi, Yuto Kishina, Mai Mihara, Ayumi Kagotani, Hana Yoshida, Mako Yamashita, Kinayu Yokoi, Miyabi Oba. Junior - Takeru Amine Kataise, Shunsuke Nakamura, Ikura Kushida, Ayumi Shibayama, Mao Shimada, Azusa Tanaka, Nao Kida/Masaya Morita
Eastern Sectionals
Time and place: Nov. 3-6, Maebashi
Level and disciplines: junior & senior men, women, pairs
Advance to: Nationals
Advancement quota: 12 junior women, 9 junior men, 8 senior women, 4 senior men
Notable entries: Senior - Yuna Aoki, Maria Egawa, Tomoe Kawabata, Marin Honda, Akari Matsubara, Shiika Yoshioka. Junior - Rio Nakata, Nozomu Yoshioka, Mone Chiba, Ami Nakai, Haruna Murakami/Sumitada Moriguchi
Junior National Championships
Time and place: Nov. 25-27, Hitachinaka
Level and disciplines: junior men, women, ice dance, pairs
Notable entries: Takeru Amine Kataise, Rio Nakata, Shunsuke Nakamura, Ryoga Morimoto, Nozomu Yoshioka, Ikura Kushida, Ayumi Shibayama, Mao Shimada, Mone Chiba, Ami Nakai, Haruna Murakami/Sumitada Moriguchi, Nao Kida/Masaya Morita
Broadcast: Paid livestreaming on Fuji on Demand
Senior National Championships
Time and place: Dec. 21-25, Osaka
Level and disciplines: senior men, women, ice dance, pairs
OTHER COMPETITIONS
95th National Intercollegiate Championships
Time and place: Jan. 4-7, Tomakomai
Level and disciplines: men, women
Notable entries: Shun Sato, Nozomu Yoshioka, Takeru Amine Kataise, Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda, Sumitada Moriguchi, Tatsuya Tsuboi, Maria Egawa, Rion Sumiyoshi, Yuna Aoki, Tomoe Kawabata, Rinka Watanabe, Mako Yamashita, Yuhana Yokoi, Saki Miyake, Kaori Sakamoto
Broadcast: Fuji on Demand (paid livestream)
Note: Entries open to university students. Free skates only.
72nd National High School Championships
Time and place: Jan. 16-17, Ageo
Level and disciplines: men, women
Notable entries: Kao Miura, Shunsuke Nakamura, Ryoga Morimoto, Tsudoi Suto, Mone Chiba, Yurina Okuno, Mana Kawabe, Rino Matsuike, Hana Yoshida, Azusa Tanaka
Broadcast: Sportsbull (free livestream)
Note: Entries open to high school students.
78th National Winter Sports Festival
Time and place: Jan. 28-31, Hachinohe
Level and disciplines: junior & senior men, women
Notable entries: Senior - Rinka Watanabe, Rion Sumiyoshi, Yuhana Yokoi, Kaori Sakamoto, Mai Mihara, Mako Yamashita, Saki Miyake, Shun Sato, Sota Yamamoto, Tatsuya Tsuboi, Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda, Nobunari Oda, Kazuki Tomono, Nozomu Yoshioka, Sena Miyake, Sumitada Moriguchi. Junior - Mone Chiba, Rino Matsuike, Hana Yoshida, Ayumi Shibayama, Yurina Okuno, Tsudoi Suto, Shunsuke Nakamura, Ryoga Morimoto, Haru Kakiuchi
Broadcast: Video archives
Note: Multi-sport event including figure skating. Skaters represent their prefectures.
43rd National Junior High School Championships
Time and place: Feb. 5-7, Nagano
Level and disciplines: men, women
Notable entries: Rio Nakata, Sena Takahashi, Mao Shimada, Ayumi Shibayama, Haruna Murakami, Yo Takagi, Ikura Kushida, Kaoruko Wada, Ami Nakai
Broadcast: JSports livestreams (paid)
Note: Entries open to junior high (middle school) students.