Japan’s Women’s Figure Skating Enters a New Golden Era Led by Rising Stars

Kaori Sakamoto brings her career to a perfect close

At the peak of her powers, the queen left the ice.

At the World Figure Skating Championships held in Prague, Czech Republic (March 25–29, Japan time), Kaori Sakamoto(25) scored a personal best total of 238.28 points. With her fourth victory—surpassing the three titles of Mao Asada (35) to become the sole Japanese record holder—she brought an end to her 21-year competitive career. Former professional skater Takahito Mura offered his praise:

“Every athlete wants to end their career with glorious achievements. Sakamoto had already won a silver medal at the Milan Olympics, so no one would have complained if she had retired there. Even so, the fact that she chose to compete in this World Championships suggests that even a second-place finish in the world left her feeling more frustration than satisfaction.

This competition took place just a month after the Olympics, making preparation extremely difficult. Not only physically, but mentally as well—it’s no easy task to reset your mindset in such a short time after a major event. Even for a skater of Sakamoto’s caliber, there was a real risk of ending her career with a poor result. Yet she delivered a superb performance to win—she truly is an extraordinary athlete. Going forward, she will surely help energize the figure skating world as a coach.”

After finishing her performance, Sakamoto embraced Mone Chiba (20), who won the silver medal at the same event, both in tears. It felt almost like a symbolic ritual marking the generational shift in Japan’s women’s figure skating.

“Like Sakamoto, Chiba’s strength lies in her well-rounded abilities—graceful skating, deep expressiveness, and rhythmic step sequences. She placed fourth at the Milan Olympics, and at this event she also delivered a stable performance to finish runner-up. She is also positive about attempting a triple axel and even quadruple jumps. If she adds those big technical elements to her already strong artistry, she could aim for the top of the world,” said a sports newspaper desk editor.

The key to leveling up lies in deeper expression

Entrusted with the future by Kaori Sakamoto, Mone Chiba will help usher in a golden era for Japanese figure skating together with Ami Nakai (17), who won a bronze medal at the Milan Olympics, surpassing Chiba’s own result.

“Nakai’s strengths are her physical ability to land high-difficulty jumps and her mental toughness to perform on the big stage. At this competition, due in part to the difficulty of adjusting, her triple axel didn’t succeed, but it’s encouraging that she maintained a high success rate in her first year at the senior level. It’s no surprise she won the ISU’s Best Newcomer award. She’ll likely be able to master quadruple jumps in time.

However, under the current rules, relying solely on jumps makes it difficult to increase scores. There’s still room for growth in fundamental skills and expression. If she can transform her youthful skating into the kind of deep, nuanced performance that Sakamoto has, Nakai should make even greater strides,” said Takahito Mura.

Next season, the prodigy Mao Shimada (17)—the first Japanese female skater in history to successfully land both a triple axel and a quadruple toe loop—will also move up to the senior level. Replacing Sakamoto, these three may lead women’s figure skating and could even sweep the Olympic podium one day.

From the April 17/24, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”