2026-27 Japanese Pairs and Ice Dance

[Anna K.]

Welcome to the 2026–27 Japanese Pairs and Ice Dance thread!

As of July 1, 2026, there are following teams competing in Pairs and Ice Dance (sources: ISU, JSF, social media, Goldenskate):

Senior Pairs
Yuna Nagaoka /Sumitada Moriguchi "YunaSumi" (JSF Special Strengthening Selection) ISU bio
Ayumi Kagotani/Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda "AyuLuka"


Senior Ice Dance
Utana Yoshida/ Masaya Morita "UtaMasa" (JSF Strengthening Selection B) ISU bio
Ikura Kushida/Koshiro Shimada "IkuKo", ISU bio
Rika Kihira/Shingo Nishiyama "RikaShin"
Kaho Yamashita /Yuto Nagata "KahoYuu"ISU bio
Marin Honda/Shoma Uno "ShoMarin"
Rikako Fukase/Atsuhiko Tamura

Junior Ice Dance
Ayumi Shibayama/Tomoki Kimura "AyuTomo"
Noa Hozumi/Takuya Tanabe "NoaTaku"

To be updated until Japanese Sectionals
If I am not around by that time for whatever reason, please contact @dorispulaski or other admin staff, they can update the OP for you!

 

[Anna K.]

I'm reposting here the link to UtaMasa and IkuKo short program premieres, show version, that was kindly uploaded by @tsuyoboogie for Dreams on Ice thread:

2026 Dreams on Ice pt2 (ID).mp4

drive.google.com

It could be useful as a reference how these programs looked at the very beginning

 

[cocteautwin]

There's one more junior team formed recently: Noa Hazumi and Takuya Tanabe. They competed at Prince Mikasa Cup.
ETA: Already added, thank you.

 

[cocteautwin]

Cute clip of Ayumi and Tomoki practising their new Swan Lake free dance

 

[cocteautwin]

Based on fans reports from today's Nikkan Sport livestream with YumaSumi:
- They resumed training very recently
- They are going to France for Benoit's choreography (free program)
- Then they are going to Germany to a training camp with Savin
- SP is choreographed by Cathy Reed

 

[labgoat]

Ikura Kushida & Koshiro Shimada -And the Waltz Goes On


Ikura Kushida & Koshiro Shimada - Freya

 

[cocteautwin]

Some new social media content from Rika and Marin. Training hard!





Meanwhile UtaMasa are back from Canada and YumiSumi have left to France.

 

[cocteautwin]

New photo from IkuKo. They're now in Czechia at training camp with Maurizio Margaglio.

 

[cocteautwin]

ShoMarin's programs announcement. Stephane will accompany them to competitions.
I read somewhere that RD was choreographed by Kenji Miyamato but I'm not sure if the source is reliable. ETA: Yes, it's confirmed by many articles.

 

[cocteautwin]

Few more information from ShoMarin coaching situation: they're currently training in Japan, mostly with Misato Komatsubara but also consulting with other coaches and specialists (Tim Koleto was mentioned, Kenji Miyamoto as well). After Ice Brave show they plan to go oversea to learn from various specialist at different locations (Canada mentioned) without fixing a one training base. For this season Stephane will accompany them at competitions for reassuring support as he's the coach Shoma trust the most.
<based on autotranslation of few japanese articles, so please feel free to correct if sth is wrong>

 

[Anna K.]

So I have a question for the forum users who have more experience with the Japanese sources: does there exist a pair/dance team biography/profile page (at the club level or JSF level maybe) for teams that have not competed internationally and don't have an ISU profile?

Just thinking about the ways how to improve the OP

 

[denise3lz]

So I have a question for the forum users who have more experience with the Japanese sources: does there exist a pair/dance team biography/profile page (at the club level or JSF level maybe) for teams that have not competed internationally and don't have an ISU profile?

Just thinking about the ways how to improve the OP

In recent years, the Fuji TV website—which broadcasts and streams the All-Japan Championships and
their qualifying rounds—has been posting official information about the qualifiers.

Here is last season’s page.
link to 2025 East Japan qualifier program including Pairs.
link to 2025 West Japan qualifier program including Ice Dancing.

Junior version
Novice version

Senior National page

It isn’t updated until just before the matches begin. Also, since it wasn't intended for anyone
other than Japanese people, I think it might be a little hard to understand.

 

[Anna K.]

In recent years, the Fuji TV website—which broadcasts and streams the All-Japan Championships and
their qualifying rounds—has been posting official information about the qualifiers.

Here is last season’s page.
link to 2025 East Japan qualifier program including Pairs.
link to 2025 West Japan qualifier program including Ice Dancing.

Junior version
Novice version

Senior National page

It isn’t updated until just before the matches begin. Also, since it wasn't intended for anyone
other than Japanese people, I think it might be a little hard to understand.

Thank you for sharing the links!
The main page actually translates by Google quite well and provides a great overview of how the Japanese championships work.
The PDF documents are indeed made for Japanese readers but I understand that this is the same information that is shared in the respective competition threads of this forum so translations could be found there. So I guess it would make sense to link in the OP the forum threads of the respective competitions (East and West qualifiers) after such appear

 

[aerosuffly]

Wow. YunaSumi got Special Strengthening Selection? Look like JSF is really putting money on them. I would prefer that they give YunaSumi a A, so they can distribute a bit of money to more of the developing ice dance couple though.

 

[cocteautwin]

Wow. YunaSumi got Special Strengthening Selection? Look like JSF is really putting money on them. I would prefer that they give YunaSumi a A, so they can distribute a bit of money to more of the developing ice dance couple though.

I think they have a certain criteria - YunaSumi were on 4CC podium and it seems all championship medalists get Special Strengthening Selection. They are currently the only senior pair ready to compete internationally and with the coaching situation they need to go abroad a lot so its absolutely neccesairly for them to get a good funds.

However, the fact the criteria are the same for singles and ice dance is very weird to me, those disciplines in Japan are on the completely stages of development and ice dance team need that developement money so desperaitly if they want ice dance to gey anyway near single level.