This has been the talk of the skating world all season—the women’s event at the 2025-26 All-Japan Championships is going to be the most hard-fought of any competitions this season (and I say that including the Olympics!). But outside of that, it’s an Olympic season, and there are a number of skaters we’ve followed for many years who have already announced their retirement plans or are likely to retire after this season. The emotions this week will run high, and we are in for a treat.
Olympic selection outlook
Skaters who are already in consideration for the Olympic team based on the selection criteria: Kaori Sakamoto, Ami Nakai, Mone Chiba, Hana Yoshida
Next up if one or more of the above are selected: Rinka Watanabe (world standing), Rion Sumiyoshi (ISU season's best)
Additional skaters will be added to team consideration if they finish on the podium
Japan Nationals predictions
Official hashtag: #全日本フィギュア
GOLD Kaori Sakamoto 坂本花織 - An errant lutz in the short program at Grand Prix Final prevented her from taking that title, but she proved once again that her free skate continues to be solid this season, and perhaps as consistent as she's been all Olympic cycle in her free skate. Part of this is that two clean skates should get her to the top of the podium, but the other part is the positioning of momentum for Sakamoto ahead of the Olympics. She's been the top Japanese woman for the better part of the past five years, and this will be an important stepping stone toward Milano. Time to say goodbye.
SILVER Mone Chiba 千葉百音 - Her last competition memory was on and off—on one hand, she had two falls at the start of her free skate, but on the other hand, she came back to salvage the rest of her program. It's not the ending to her Grand Prix Final that she had hoped for, especially given that she had the lead after the short, but her recovery in the free skate should be good for her confidence in her training going into an all-important Nationals.
BRONZE Ami Nakai 中井亜美 - It has been quite a recovery of a season for Nakai. Last year was a tough final junior season for her, and she's not only started her senior career well, but she's also found herself in a phenomenal position for the Olympic team. The triple axel will be crucial for her, and she's been able to deliver that in big moments. But in many ways, this Nationals competition will be the biggest pressure cooker for her this season, especially after having beaten Sakamoto twice in the past few months.
4. Mao Shimada 島田麻央 - If we know anything about Shimada, it is that she is always fearless in competitions. She's got a triple axel that has gotten more consistent this season, but it's a high-risk high-reward play for her. As the reigning silver medalist, she's certainly got the potential to be on the podium again, but she will need to be cleaner than she was at the Junior Grand Prix Final.
5. Saki Miyake 三宅咲綺 - The dark dark horse of this event, Miyake has not been at the big flashy competitions this season. And while her teammates were winning medals on the international circuit, she was making progress domestically, most recently winning sectionals and landing a triple axel in the process. She's a huge long shot here, and the most unseasoned of the contenders, but she may just surprise some folks this week.
6. Rinka Watanabe 渡辺倫果 - After a rollercoaster first few months of the season, Watanabe steadied herself and got more consistent and confident during the Grand Prix. And though she was sixth at the Grand Prix Final, getting that experience under her belt was likely good practice for this competition. She will have to be consistent with her axel again and also make sure her rotations are clean.
7. Rion Sumiyoshi 住吉りをん - Her season started off so well, but much like her past few seasons, she's had strong competitions in the early fall only to fall apart in bits later on. At her best, she's got the basics and the jumps to be contender here, but her inconsistency will be an issue here.
8. Mako Yamashita 山下真瑚 - Like Miyake, Yamashita has also been doing very well on the domestic circuit. But she's also had a long history at Japan Natioanls, finishing sixth twice, most recently last year.
9. Mei Okada 岡田芽依 - Bronze at the Junior Grand Prix Final, Okada is one of the juniors who have shown a ton of promise this season. She's a contender for the top 10.
10. Rino Matsuike 松生理乃 - Her past few seasons have been plagued by both inconsistency and rotation issues. She's an ethereal skater with a very high ceiling.
Others to watch for: Yuna Aoki 青木祐奈, Wakaba Higuchi 樋口新葉, Mai Mihara 三原舞依, Hana Yoshida 吉田陽菜 - this is a who's who of celebrated skaters from the past two Olympic cycles. Any of these skaters, if they skate well, could end up in the top five. But all of them have had issues this season, whether it be inconsistency or injury.