The fourth of six events this season, the Grand Prix offers crucial points for skaters aiming to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Vancouver, Canada in December.

The Japanese competition gets underway tomorrow with day one's competitions seeing the pairs, ladies' and men's short programmes begin.

In the men's competition, world silver medallist and Skate Canada Grand Prix gold medallist Shoma Uno of Japan will face competition on home ice from the 2017 NHK Trophy winner, Russia's Sergei Voronov.

European silver medallist Dmitri Aliev of Russia is also in the line-up and is joined by World Junior Championship medallists, Vincent Zhou of the United States and Italy's Matteo Rizzo.

Two Grand Prix winners, Japan's Satoko Miyahara and Russia's Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, are expected to battle it out for the title this weekend in the ladies' competition.

Miyahara won bronze at this year's World Championships in Milan but took gold at the Skate America Grand Prix in October.

Tuktamysheva, the 2015 world champion, won the next Grand Prix in Canada but the two are yet to compete at the same event this term.

In the pairs event, several duos who have already taken their place on Grand Prix podiums will return to competition in Hiroshima.

Helsinki Grand Prix champions Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert of Russia will have to face Skate Canada Grand Prix medallists to take another victory.

China's Cheng Peng and Yang Jin took silver at the Canadian event, with home favourites Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro in bronze.

In total 58 skaters representing 13 countries are expected to compete as the event runs from November 9 to 11.

Ice dance will begin on Saturday (November 10).