By Yuta Matsumura and Daia Koyano
The Pan Continental Curling Championships (PCCC) will open on Oct. 19. From Japan, the men’s Team Yamaguchi and the women’s Team Fujisawa will take part. This tournament is not only an important pathway toward the World Men’s and World Women’s Curling Championships, but also one that holds different meanings for each of the two Japanese teams.
MEN: COMPETING AS JAPAN'S NATIONAL TEAM WITH THE OQE IN SIGHT
Making their third appearance at the PCCC, Team Yamaguchi enter the tournament as the reigning national champions and Japan’s national team, having recently earned the spot by winning the Japan Olympic Trials. They aim to qualify for the World Men's Curling Championship and capture their first PCCC title, while also treating this tournament as a strategic test run ahead of December’s Olympic Qualification Event (OQE).
Among the eight participating nations, six — the United States, China, Korea, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Japan — will also compete in December’s Olympic Qualification Event (OQE). This makes the PCCC a valuable chance for Japan to face some of the same opponents in official competition before the OQE, even though team lineups may differ by country.
This season, Japan has already faced Team Shuster (USA) once, but matches against other countries will be their first. The Philippines are a new and rising power, having earned promotion from the B Division with an undefeated record last year. Led by the Pfister brothers, who have experience representing Switzerland, the Philippine team — whom Japan have never faced before — presents a significant competitive experience for Japan, a constructive step toward their next challenge.
For Team Yamaguchi, games against such opponents will serve as a true proving ground. Performing well and advancing through this event would give them strong confidence heading into the OQE in December.
WOMEN: ONCE AGAIN AIMING FOR THE TOP OF THE WORLD
Team Fujisawa, the inaugural champions of the Pan Continental Curling Championships, will represent Japan in the women’s event. Originally, the spot was to go to the winners of the most recent Japan Curling Championship (JCC), but after Team Yoshimura (first place) and Team Tabata (second place) declined participation, Team Fujisawa, who finished third, earned the right to compete.
Although they narrowly missed out on Olympic qualification at the recent Trials, this tournament offers them a meaningful opportunity to return to the international stage only a few weeks later.
While they are not representing Japan as the primary team at this event, their standing as one of the country’s most accomplished and proven teams remains unchanged.
Fuelled by the disappointment of missing Olympic qualification, the team who often say, “there is more than one path to becoming the best in the world,” continue their pursuit with quiet determination. Unlike the men’s field, only Japan and the United States are set to compete at the OQE, with Japan sending a different lineup, making this PCCC purely a competition to secure a World Women's Curling Championship berth and contend for the title.
Facing world-ranked opponents such as Homan, Gim, and Wang, this championship provides an ideal setting for Team Fujisawa to gauge where they stand on the global scale — a defining moment in their continuing journey.
WHAT THE PCCC MEANS FOR JAPAN
As this season falls within the Olympic cycle, the Japan Curling Championship will be held in June 2026 under an adjusted schedule. As a result, the team that finishes highest in the domestic WCTR standings will earn the right to represent Japan at the 2025–26 World Men's and Women's Curling Championships. Accordingly, the outcome of this tournament will play a key role in shaping the national rankings, as teams aim to collect crucial points that could influence future national selections and international evaluations.
The establishment of the PCCC has been a major benefit for Japan, as it expanded World Championship spots for the Asia–Oceania region. Compared to the former Pacific-Asia Curling Championships (PACC), where teams often battled for a single spot in the final, the path to qualification has clearly become more accessible. Even so, advancing through this increasingly competitive event remains no easy task.
For Japan, this year’s PCCC will be a tournament defined by the shared goal of qualifying for the World Championships as a nation, while each team pursues its own purpose — Team Yamaguchi focusing on preparation for the OQE, and Team Fujisawa continuing their journey with perseverance.
