Japan's Yuma Kagiyama stormed into the lead in the men's competition at figure skating's NHK Trophy after the short programme on Friday, with world champion Shoma Uno having to settle for second.
Olympic silver medallist Kagiyama missed all of last season through injury but he made up for lost time with a confident performance that earned him a score of 105.51 in Osaka.
"Today it at all came together from start to finish, just like in practice, and I was able to give a performance with even more powerful energy," said Kagiyama, who finished third at the French Grand Prix earlier this month.
"In a word, I'm relieved."
Skating to "Believer" by Imagine Dragons, Kagiyama included two quadruple jumps in his programme and nailed them both.
"Today was good but I often have times when I do well in the short programme and make mistakes in the free skate," he said.
"Tomorrow I have to make sure I concentrate on doing the things I need to do."
Uno, who finished second behind France's Adam Siao Him Fa at the Cup of China earlier this month, under-rotated one of his jumps and finished with a score of 100.20.
"I got a high score but Yuma got 105, so even though everyone might think I'm disappointed, it was just that he was amazing," said Uno.
Switzerland's Lukas Britschgi was third on 86.42.
American Lindsay Thorngren led the women's competition after the short programme.
The 17-year-old, who finished fifth at Skate Canada and is looking for her first win on the Grand Prix circuit, scored a season-best 68.93 after skating to "Windmills of your Mind" by Venus.
Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone was second on 63.44, ahead of South Korea's world silver medallist Lee Hae-in on 62.93.
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