Japanese Skaters Lead NHK Trophy Short Programs

At the NHK Trophy in Tokyo, Yuma Kagiyama led a Japanese sweep in the men's short program with a score of 105.70, showcasing a near-flawless routine that included a quadruple salchow and triple axel. Kao Miura secured second place with a personal best of 102.96, while Tatsuya Tsuboi finished third with 85.02. In the women's category, three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto dominated with a score of 78.93, giving her a substantial lead over second-place Mone Chiba, who scored 71.69. The competition saw a strong performance from Alysa Liu of the U.S., who ranked fourth with 65.03. Both Kagiyama and Sakamoto expressed satisfaction with their performances, with Kagiyama aiming to match his Olympic score but falling short by three points. The event highlighted Japan's strong presence in figure skating, as all top three positions in both categories were occupied by Japanese athletes.