The third round of the figure skating Grand Prix series, France, was held on the first day of the competition on the 4th, and Japanese athletes finished the first half of the short program in both men's singles and women's singles, and were in good positions.
In the men's singles, Sota Yamamoto took the lead in the short program with a score of 92.42.
Yamamoto landed all the jumps, including quadruple and triple toe loops, and showed a performance approaching his personal best.
Second place is followed by Kazuki Tomono, who marked 89.46.
Seinan Miyake was 10th with 69.27.
In the women's singles short program, Aina Kawabe, a representative of the Beijing Olympics, came in third with a score of 68.83.
Kawabe made some small mistakes in her triple jumps, but overall she performed with a sense of stability.
Among other Japanese players, Rion Sumiyoshi finished fifth with 64.10 due to a disordered triple jump, and Seino Matsu was ninth with 57.68 due to two falls.