Although some of their victors have been the outstanding favourites Japanese fighters have also excelled when pitted against the best of the rest of the world in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

This was best illustrated in the women's under 70 kilogrm division where World junior silver medalist Chizuru Arai had to overcome the gold and silver medalists from the senior World Championships to win the gold medal.

She first beat Colombia's world champion Yuri Alvear with an ippon before defeating runner up, and world ranked number one, Kim Polling of the Netherlands in the final.

Despite receiving several penalties for passivity, an early yuko and a late ne-waza was enough to secure victory for the home fighter.

Alvear took one of the two bronze medals while a formidably strong podium was completed by Seongyeon Kim of South Korea, bronze medal winner also at the World Championships.

Arai heads a formidably competitive under 70kg podium in Tokyo ©IJF Media


In the men's uner 73kg event Olympic silver medalist and former world champion Riki Nakaya was the star of the day and, with the partisan home crowd providing plenty of help, he required just 71 seconds to defeat South Korea's Rijeka Grand Prix winner Bang Gui-Man in the final.

In the first event of the day meanwhile, world number four Kana Abe had provided a sign of what was to by beating Japanese teammate Miku Tashiro in the final of the under 63kg category.

Miki Tanaka ensured Japanese representation on all three podium places with bronze while the other was taken by South Korea's Joung Da-Woon.

The best was left to last though for Japan as Takanori Nagase, winner of the gold medal at the Summer Universiade in Kazan earlier in 2013, overcame France's world champion Loic Pietri to claim a thrilling gold in the under 81kg.

Takanori Nagase on way to a brilliant victory in the men's 81kg division ©IJF Media


Frenchman Pietri was in devastating form in the preliminary rounds but found Nagase a step too far after he was thrown for an ippon in the fourth minute.

Japan will aim to continue their clean sweep in the final five events which will be held tomorrow.