Japanese karatekas are expected to perform well during the finale to the campaign of World Karate Federation (WKF) sanctioned events, held at the birthplace of the sport, and Kiyuna delivered under pressure with victory over team-mate Takuya Uemura.

Kiyuna was adjudged to have given a better display of the expressive kata discipline on his way to the gold medal as he led home a podium sweep for the host nation, who were well represented in the category.

Chikashi Hayashida and Daisuke Funakoshi were the recipients of the two bronze medals on offer as Japan asserted their dominance in front of a partisan home crowd at the Okinawa Prefectural Budokan.

Kiyuna’s success lays down another marker for the rest of the field, who will bid to dethrone him at the upcoming World Championships in Linz later this month.

The men’s kata was one of only two events on the programme on the opening day of the competition, with the WKF choosing to hold the bulk of the finals tomorrow.

The other category where a gold medallist was crowned was the women’s kata as the host country swept the podium once again, much to the delight of those who had come out to watch.

The absence of world champion Kiyou Shimizu gave hope to the abundance of karatekas who took to the mat in the event but it was the Japanese who again prevailed, with Saori Okamoto recording one of the best wins of her career by taking home the title.

Okamoto triumphed with a victory over Masama Seiwada and two Japanese competitors - Hikaru Ono and Arisa Gibo – completed the dominant performance from the hosts by earning bronze.

This season's WKF Karate1 Premier League action is set to come to a thrilling conclusion tomorrow, with gold medals on offer in all of the men’s and women’s kumite categories.