Japan at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics: Highlights to Know

Japan brought home a record number of medals in February 2026, led by snowboarders and figure skaters whose performances are worth knowing about.

Published October 26, 2026 at 12:12 PM JST | By Tokyo Paul

Quick answer: Japan won 24 medals at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (5 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze), the most it has ever collected at a single Winter Games and enough for 10th place in the medal table. Snowboarding produced four golds, and Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won Japan's first Olympic pairs figure skating gold.

The Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Games ran from 6 to 22 February 2026, and Japan came home with its best Winter Olympic result. People search for the highlights because the stories are inspiring and because the sports behind them, from snowboarding to figure skating to ski jumping, connect directly to travel in Japan. This guide gives a clear summary of the medals, the athletes worth knowing, and the winter sports culture they come from, with practical pointers for visitors who want to try snow sports or watch events in person.

The Medal Count in Brief

Japan finished the Games with 24 medals, made up of 5 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze. According to the Wikipedia pages for the Games and for Japan's delegation, that placed Japan 10th in the medal table. Norway led the table, followed by the United States, the Netherlands and host Italy.

The result set a new single-Games record for Japan. The 19th medal, a bronze in the women's speed skating team pursuit on February 17, broke the previous best of 18, and the team went on to add more in the final days.

Japan sent 121 athletes in 13 sports, 74 of them women. Medals came in snowboarding, figure skating, ski jumping, freestyle skiing and speed skating, a good spread that shows the depth of the country's winter sports programs.

Snowboarding: Four Golds

Snowboarding was Japan's most successful sport, with four golds, two silvers and three bronzes. Kira Kimura won the men's big air, Kokomo Murase the women's big air, Yuto Totsuka the men's halfpipe, and Mari Fukada the women's slopestyle.

Murase also took bronze in slopestyle, giving her two medals at the Games. Silver and bronze medals went to athletes including Ryoma Kimata, Taiga Hasegawa, Ryusei Yamada and Mitsuki Ono.

Big air is a discipline in which riders launch off a huge ramp and perform one spectacular trick, while halfpipe and slopestyle reward flow and creativity.

Figure Skating: A First in Pairs

Figure skating delivered some of the most memorable moments. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, won the pairs gold with a total of 231.24 points, after finishing fifth in the short program. Their free skate scored 158.13, a personal best and a world record for a pairs free skate, and the victory was Japan's first Olympic pairs gold.

Kaori Sakamoto won silver in women's singles, finishing 1.89 points behind the champion, and she also helped Japan to silver in the team event. Yuma Kagiyama took silver in men's singles, and Shun Sato and Ami Nakai each won a bronze in their singles events.

The results made it one of the most celebrated sports of the Games for Japan, with several skaters winning more than one medal across the individual and team events.

Ski Jumping, Moguls and Speed Skating

Ski jumping brought four medals. Ren Nikaido won silver on the large hill and bronze on the normal hill, Nozomi Maruyama took bronze in the women's normal hill, and the mixed team, which included Ryoyu Kobayashi and Sara Takanashi, also won bronze.

In freestyle skiing, Ikuma Horishima won silver in dual moguls and bronze in moguls. Speed skating added three bronzes, two of them for Miho Takagi in the women's 500 meters and 1000 meters, and one for the women's team pursuit.

Together these results show that Japan's winter medals were not limited to one or two stars but came from many events and athletes.

A Look at the Delegation

The Japanese team was notable for its balance. Of the 121 athletes, 74 were women. Flag bearers for the opening ceremony were Wataru Morishige and Sena Tomita, and at the closing ceremony Morishige and Kaori Sakamoto carried the flag.

Team events were also strong. Japan took silver in the figure skating team event and bronze in the ski jumping mixed team and women's team pursuit.

For fans, this is a reminder that the best Olympic stories are often about people and teamwork, not just the numbers on a medal table.

Winter Sports Culture in Japan

Japan has a long relationship with winter sports. Sapporo hosted the Winter Games in 1972 and Nagano in 1998, and the ski areas and arenas built over those decades remain part of the landscape. Hokkaido and the Japan Alps are known for deep, dry powder snow, which attracts skiers and snowboarders from abroad as well as locals.

Many resorts are friendly to beginners and offer rental gear and lessons in English, though services vary by area, so check each resort's website. Ice rinks are widespread too, and skating is a popular family activity in winter.

For anyone inspired by the Games, a first lesson on snow or ice is a fun way to start, and beginner programs are widely available.

Planning Your Own Winter Trip

Visitors who want to follow these athletes can plan a winter trip around snow sports, festivals and hot springs. Hokkaido, Nagano, Niigata and Tohoku all offer ski areas, and many resorts combine slopes with onsen, Japan's hot spring baths, for a relaxing evening.

Plan around the season, which in much of Japan runs roughly from December to March, with variation by region and snow conditions. Check resort and lift information on official sites before you go, and wear layers and sunglasses or goggles for bright snow.

Watching events in person is also possible during the domestic season, with ski jumping, figure skating and speed skating competitions held at venues around the country. Check federation and venue pages for schedules and ticket details.

Wrapping Up: A Winter to Remember

The Milan-Cortina Games will be remembered as Japan's best Winter Olympics. Twenty-four medals, four snowboarding golds and the first pairs figure skating gold show how much talent the country has across many sports.

For travelers, the story offers inspiration to explore Japan in winter, from a first snowboard lesson to a night at a mountain hot spring. Whether you follow the sport from home or on the slopes, there is plenty to enjoy.

Want to go deeper? Tokyo Paul's book Tokyo Info Guide is available on Amazon.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many medals did Japan win at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Japan won 24 medals at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: 5 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze. That was its best total at a single Winter Games, beating the previous record of 18, and it placed Japan 10th in the medal table. Snowboarding produced four of the five golds.

Who won Japan's gold medals in 2026?

Four snowboarders won gold: Kira Kimura in men's big air, Kokomo Murase in women's big air, Yuto Totsuka in men's halfpipe, and Mari Fukada in women's slopestyle. The fifth gold came in figure skating, where Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs event, Japan's first Olympic gold in that discipline.

When were the Milan-Cortina Olympics held?

The Winter Olympics were held from 6 to 22 February 2026, co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, with some events in Livigno and the Fiemme Valley. Competition in some events began on 4 February. Italy's host cities shared the Games, with 116 medal events across 8 sports.

Keep Exploring

More guides from Tokyo Paul: Winter 2026 to 2027 in Japan: Planning Ski and Snow Festival Trips, Sapporo Snow Festival: Giant Sculptures in Winter and Tokyo 1964: The Olympics and the First Bullet Train.