Kodaira, winner of the opening three races of the campaign in Harbin and Nagano before skipping last week's competition in Astana, powered home in a time of 37.69sec.

The 30-year-old, a bronze medallist at the World Championships in the same Dutch city last year, finished in front of China's Jing Yu, while fellow Japanese skater Maki Tsuji was third.

Kodaira had been locked in a battle with world and Olympic champion Sang-Hwa Lee but the South Korean eventually came ninth.

She is now just 52 points adrift of current overall leader Jing on the World Cup standings.

"I just go - maybe the others are not super fit," Kodaira said.

"It would be great to still be on top in February.”

Russia's Ruslan Murashov sealed his second consecutive victory in the men's 500m race, clocking 34.50 to oust Poland's Artus Was, who was 0.29 seconds adrift.

American skater Mitchell Whitmore claimed the bronze medal.

Despite the success in Heerenveen, Murashov remains second on the overall leaderboard on 305, behind compatriot Pavel Kulizhnikov, who served a two-year drugs ban and was also implicated in the scandal surrounding meldonium.

Kulizhnikov, a multiple world champion, has 425 points.

In the women's team pursuit, Japan clinched their second win of the season as The Netherlands, who had two World Cup victories to their name before arriving at the event on home ice, crashed and ended up ninth.

Japan's Miho Takagi, Ayano Sato and Nana Takagi clocked 2min 59.51sec, with Germany, whose team was made up of Gabriele Hirschbichler, Roxanne Dufter, Isabell Ost, taking silver.

Katarzyna Wozniak, Natalia Czerwonka and Katarzyna Bachleda-Curus of Poland were the recipients of the bronze.

Linda de Vries was the guilty party for the Dutch as her crash proved costly, leaving Marrit Leenstra and Ireen Wüst to wait for her to recover before crossing the line in 3:38.15.

The Dutch are still the ones to beat in the race for the overall title as they have 310 points, 30 more than closest challengers Japan.

Sverre Lunde Pedersen,  Simen Spieler Nilsen and Sindre Henriksen delivered victory for Norway in the men's event in 3:42.43.

Jan Blokhuijsen, Douwe de Vries, Patrick Roest secured silver for the hosts, while Italy's Nicola Tumolero, Michele Malfatti, Luca Stefani won bronze.

The Netherlands stayed on top of the World Cup rankings with 280 points, with Norway's win elevating them to second on 270.

The event in Heerenveen continues tomorrow.