network name	Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK)日本放送協会
network logo
network type	Broadcast radio network and Broadcast television network
picture format	1080i (HDTV)
country	Japan
available	Nationwide and Worldwide
slogan	("Straightforward, earnest")
area	Shibuya, Tokyo
owner	Public Broadcast
launch date	March 22, 1925 (radio) 1950 (television)
past names	Japanese Radio Station (1925-26)
website	nhk.or.jp

terr serv 1	General TV
terr chan 1	Digital–Ch 1 (Tokyo)Digital–Ch 2 (Osaka)Digital–Ch 3 (Nagoya)
terr serv 2	Educational TV
terr chan 2	Digital- Ch 2 (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya)
sat serv 1	BS-1
sat chan 1	Digital-Ch 101
sat serv 2	BS-PREMIUM
sat chan 2	Digital- Ch 103
sat serv 3	NHK WORLD
sat chan 3	nhkTV, nhkRadio Japan
online chan 1	}}

NHK (, ''Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai''; official English name: Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.

NHK operates two terrestrial television services (NHK General TV and NHK Educational TV), two satellite television services (NHK BS-1 and NHK BS Premium, both now a High-definition television service), and three radio networks (NHK Radio 1, NHK Radio 2, and NHK FM).

NHK also provides an international broadcasting service, known as NHK World. NHK World is composed of NHK World TV, NHK World Premium, and the shortwave radio service NHK World Radio Japan. World Radio Japan also makes some of its programs available on the internet.

History

Until the 1940s, NHK was a national radio broadcasting monopoly.

On March 22, 1925, one and a half years after the Great Kantō earthquake, the Radio Japan produced the first radio broadcast in Japan, transmitting from Atago Hill just north of the Tokugawa Tombs in Shiba Park. The first program included Beethoven, classical Japanese music, and a play by ōyō. In the same year, there were also broadcasts from Osaka and Nagoya.

NHK was founded in 1926, modeled on the BBC radio company of the United Kingdom. NHK evolved from the amalgamation of the three regional broadcasting corporations. This merger and reorganization was carried out under the auspices of the pre-war Ministry of Communications.

NHK’s second radio network was started in 1931. And in 1935, NHK started a shortwave radio service for listeners overseas, which was known as ’’‘Radio Japan’’’ in 1930s and 1940s.

In November 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army nationalised all public news agencies and coordinated their efforts through the Information Liaison Confidential Committee. All published and broadcast news reports became official announcements of the Imperial Army General Headquarters in Tokyo for the duration of World War II. The famous Tokyo Rose wartime programs were broadcasts by NHK.

In 1950, post-war three radio rules were enacted including the Broadcast Law (“Hōsō Hō”), and they replaced the pre-war Radio Telegraph Law. Under this law, NHK started afresh as a special corporation to be supported by audiences.

NHK started General TV in 1950 and the Educational TV in 1959. It aired its first color television broadcast in 1960.

In 1980s, NHK BS TV broadcasts were started. And in 1995, NHK started ’’‘NHK World TV’’’.

In 2000, NHK started satellite digital TV broadcasts. And in 2003, terrestrial digital TV broadcasts were started for three megacity areas, which are to be expanded to cover almost all Japan by July 2011.

NHK BS Hi-Vision analog TV was stopped by September 2007.

Since End of September 2008, NHK World TV can be received Free-To-Air over the Astra 19.2°E (Astra 1L) in Europe.

As of 28 November 2008, NHK World TV was seen to start Test transmissions on the Eurobird series of satellites, Free to Air, at 28.5 Degrees East. The transmissions, on 11.680 GHz (Vertical polarity, FEC 2/3, S/R 27.5MBaud), currently appear only by adding the channel manually on Sky Digital equipment, and the channel is currently recognised by a code number, “51108”. It is not currently known how long this service will be available for, or what the plans for NHK World presently are. It appears in the Freesat EPG on channel 209.

License fee

NHK is paid for by license fees (known in Japanese as ). The Broadcast Law which governs NHK’s funding stipulates that any television equipped to receive NHK is required to pay. The fee is standardized, with discounts for office workers and students who commute, as well a general discount for residents of Okinawa prefecture.

However, the Broadcast Law lists no punitive actions for nonpayment; as a result of this, after a rash of NHK-related scandals, the number of people who had not paid the license fee surpassed one million users. This incident sparked debate over the fairness of the fee system. In 2006, the NHK opted to take legal action against those most flagrantly in violation of the law.

NHK domestic broadcasting stations

TV programming

NHK General TV broadcasts a variety of programming. The following are noteworthy:

News

Local, national, and world news reports. NHK News 7 offers bilingual broadcasts on NHK General TV, NHK World TV and NHK World Premium. Its current flagship news program is ''News Watch 9'', also broadcast throughout the whole NHK network. NHK also offers news for the deaf, regional news and children’s news. News Today 30 Minutes is the new name of NHK NEWSWATCH which ran for 6 years. It is an English newscast designed for foreign viewers. On 2 February 2009, NHK World TV changed and the flagship newscast, ''Newsline'', also changed and is currently the flagship newscast on NHK and NHK World TV.

Emergency reporting

Under the Broadcast Act, NHK is under the obligation to broadcast early warning emergency reporting in times of natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Their national network of seismometers in cooperation with the Japan Meteorological Agency makes NHK capable of delivering the news in just 2–3 minutes after the quake. They also broadcast air attack warnings in the event of war, using the J-Alert system. All warnings are broadcast in five languages: English, Mandarin, Korean and Portuguese (Japan has small Chinese, Korean and Brazilian populations), as well as Japanese. The warnings were broadcast in these languages during the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Education

Education programmes are watched nation-wide at primary schools. ''Tensai Terebikun MAX'' (better known as TTK) is a show combining a small amount of education with entertainment. TTK is currently hosted by the Yasuda Big Circus, Maki Nishiyama and a cast of 24 children ranging from ages 8 to 14.

Weather

Weather in detail, nationwide, and international for travellers.

Sports

NHK broadcasts the six annual Grand Sumo tournaments, high-school baseball championships from Koshien Stadium, Olympic Games, National Sports Festival of Japan, and a range of other sports. NHK also broadcasts Boston Red Sox games when Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches.

News analysis

The network carries in-depth reports on current topics, political debate, and similar programming.

Music

The annual ''Kōhaku Uta Gassen'' on New Year’s Eve is the highlight. The weekly schedule includes an amateur hour, and prime-time shows for all ages. Music Japan is shown each week with brand new Japanese pop, and rock acts.

J-Melo is NHK’s first music program to be recorded entirely in English for international consumption.

The NHK Symphony Orchestra, financially sponsored by NHK, was formerly (until 1951) the Japanese Symphony Orchestra. Its website details the orchestra's history and ongoing concert programme.

Drama

A sentimental morning show, a weekly jidaigeki and a year-long show, the ’’Taiga drama’’, spearhead the network’s fiction offerings. But for no special reason, it write wrongly from ''Emperor's family'' to ''Royal family'' in the Webpage of ''Taira no Kiyomori'' that will be broadcasted at 2012 as Taiga drama(http://www9.nhk.or.jp/kiyomori/pre/03/diagram.html 2012 Taiga drama )

NHK is also making efforts to broadcasting the drama made in foreign countries as "".

Documentaries

NHK has become known for its documentary series, first popularized by the mini-series ''Legacy for the Future'', afterwards, "The Silk Road" in ''NHK Tokushu'' (''NHK Special'' at later years), and in ''NHK Special''.

Children

The longest running children’s show in Japan, }}, still airs to this day on NHK-ETV.

''Sesame Street'' was one of the first imports, debuting in 1971. It resumed in 1988, until 2004, when a local adaptation was announced, which NHK refused to be involved in. Teenagers and adults watched the program to learn English (though much later on, a dubbed version was also available). When the American Sesame Street aired on NHK, the channel produced episode guides. In the 2000s, when the show was available in both English and Japanese, ''Sesame English'' was interspersed within the program, first as a replacement for ''Elmo's World'', but later in addition to it.

Other

Cooking, comedy, exercise, gardening, crafts, anime, igo, shogi.

Notable programs

{| |valign=top|

’’Allison & Lillia’’ (2008)

’’Big Wolf on Campus’’ (2002-2003)

’’BuBu ChaCha’’

’’Caillou’’(1998-present)

’’Cardcaptor Sakura’’ (1998-2002)

’’Dynamic China’’ (2007-)

’’Doctor Who’’

’’Doug’’

’’Dungeons & Dragons’’ (1996-2002)

’’Eigo de Shabera Night’’ (2002-2009)

’’Futatsu no Spica’’

’’Future Boy Conan’’ (1978)

’’Guardian of the Sacred Spirit’’ (2007-)

’’Goosebumps’’ (1998-1999)

’’J-Melo’’ (2005-)

’’Kaitai-Shin Show’’

’’Kōhaku Uta Gassen’’

’’Kyo Kara Maoh!’’

’’MAJOR’’ (2004-2009)

’’Minna no Uta’’ (1961-ongoing)

’’Morizzo and Kiccoro’’ (2005 Aichi World Expo season)

’’Mujin Wakusei Survive’’

’’Mysterious Cities of Gold’’ (1982-1983)

|valign=top|

’’Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water’’ (1990-1991)

’’Oshin’’ (1983-1984)

’’Pants Pankuro’’ (2004-2008)

’’The Pirates of Dark Water’’ (1993)

’’Planetes’’

''Questa

’’Sesame Street’’ (1971-2004)

’’Shibawanko no Wa no Kokoro’’

’’Shirasu Jiro’’ (2009)

’’Snow Princess’’

’’SpongeBob SquarePants’’ (2002-present)

’’Sports Kyoushitsu’’

’’Star Wars: The Clone Wars’’

’’Taiga drama’’

’’Tales from the Darkside’’

’’Ten Minutes Box’’

’’The Nightmare Room’’ (2002-2003)

’’Tsubasa Chronicle’’

’’TV Colosso’’ (1993-1997)

’’UFO Baby’’ (2000-02)

’’Visions of Light’’

’’Yat Anshin Uchuu Ryokou’’ (1996-1998)

’’Zettai Shonen’’ (“Absolute Boy”) (2004–2005)

|}

See also

{| |valign=top|

Domo-kun

Hobankyo - Organization based in Japan that enforces Fuji Television copyright issues

ISDB

Japanese media

Japan Prize Contest (NHK)

Japanese television programs

|valign=top|

NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories

NHK Spring Company

NHK World

UHDTV

Welcome to the NHK!

|}

References

Notes

Additional sources

Johnston, Eric. (July 7, 2009). Japan Times: NHK a fount of info, a lot of it from the government ''Japan Times'', p. 3.

Seidensticker, Edward. (1990). ’‘Tokyo Rising: The City Since the Great Earthquake.’’ New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-54360-2

External links

NHK official Youtube channel NHK official Youtube channel

NHK WORLD English

NHK Science & Technical Research Laboratories

NHK/digital

Category:Commercial-free television networks Category:Japanese radio Category:Publicly funded broadcasters Category:1926 establishments Category:Cable TV of Hong Kong

ar:هيئة الإذاعة اليابانية az:NHK zh-min-nan:Ji̍t-pún Hòng-sàng Hia̍p-hoē ca:NHK da:NHK de:NHK el:NHK es:NHK eo:Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai fa:ان‌اچ‌کی fr:NHK ko:일본방송협회 hi:एनएचके id:NHK it:NHK ka:NHK la:NHK lt:NHK ms:NHK nl:Nippon Hoso Kyokai ja:日本放送協会 no:NHK (kringkaster) pl:NHK pt:NHK ru:NHK simple:NHK su:NHK fi:NHK sv:NHK tl:NHK th:เอ็นเอชเค uk:Японська телерадіомовна корпорація vi:Tập đoàn Truyền hình Nhật Bản zh-yue:日本放送協會 zh:日本放送協會

name	Daisuke Takahashi
country
fullname	Daisuke Takahashi
birth date	March 16, 1986
birth place	Kurashiki, Okayama
hometown	Agamasaki
residence	Osaka
height
coach	Utako Nagamitsu
formercoach	Nikolai Morozov
choreographer	Shae-Lynn Bourne Pasquale Camerlengo Stéphane Lambiel
formerchoreographer	Nikolai Morozov Kenji Miyamoto
skating club	Kansai University SC
Currenttraininglocations	Osaka
Beganskating	1994
Worldranking	1 ('''')
Pbrankings	3 (''2010–2011'') 1 (''2009–2010'')
combined total	264.41
combined date	2008 Four Continents
sp score	90.25
sp date	2010 Olympics
fs score	175.84
fs date	2008 Four Continents
medaltemplates	}}

}}

is a Japanese figure skater, notable as the 2010 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2010 World Champion, the 2007 World silver medalist, a two-time (2008, 2011) Four Continents Champion, and a four-time (2006–2008, 2010) Japanese national champion.

Takahashi represented Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics and at the 2010 Winter Olympics. His bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics was the first Olympic medal for Japan in the men's singles event.

Career

Early career

Born in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, Takahashi began figure skating when he was 8 years old. When a skating rink was built near his house, he went with his mother to watch the skaters at the rink, and afterwards, enrolled in the figure skating club. His mother intended for him enroll in the ice hockey club, but he didn't like the protective gear of ice hockey, so he enrolled in the figure skating club, instead.

Takahashi had a successful junior career, winning the 2002 World Junior Championships, in his first, and only, appearance at that competition. Takahashi is the first Japanese man to have won the title.

Senior career

Senior debut

For the following 2002-2003 season, Takahashi turned senior and his ascent slowed. He struggled with consistency during those first few years of his senior career. He won a bronze medal at the 2005 Four Continents and went on to the 2005 World Championships as the second-ranked of the two Japanese men on the World team, after Takeshi Honda. However, when Honda was forced to withdraw due to injury, it fell on Takahashi to qualify spots for Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Takahashi placed 15th, qualifying only one spot for the Japanese men.

2005–2006 season

In the 2005–2006 season, Nobunari Oda emerged as a challenger for the Olympic spot. Oda and Takahashi both had very good Grand Prix seasons.

At the 2005–2006 Japanese nationals, Oda was declared the winner, and, thus, seemed to have qualified for the one Olympic slot, but his gold medal was quickly taken back, when an error was found in the way scores were tallied in the computer system at the event, and Takahashi was awarded the gold. The Japanese Skating Federation split the international assignments, and gave Takahashi the Olympic berth, and Oda a place at the World Championship. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Takahashi was in a good position after the short program, but had a poor long program and placed 8th overall.

2006–2007 season

In the 2006–2007 competitive season, Takahashi won a silver medal at 2006 Skate Canada International, then gold at the 2006 NHK Trophy. He qualified for the Grand Prix Final and won the silver medal, although he was ill. He won the Japanese Championships, taking the national title for the second year in a row, and then went on to the Winter Universiade in Turin, Italy which he won as well.

At the 2007 World Championships, Takahashi placed third in the short program. In the free skate, he skated the performance of his life in his home country, placing first in that segment and ending up winning the silver medal, trailing Brian Joubert narrowly. This was the first silver medal for Japan in the men's event at Worlds.

Following that season, Takahashi was ranked as first in the World by the ISU. However, over the summer, the ISU tweaked their scoring criteria. Takahashi had been placed on top, just ahead of Brian Joubert, in part due to Takahashi's victory at the Winter Universiade, a competition for which Brian Joubert was not eligible, as Joubert was not a university student. The ISU determined that the results of the Winter Universiade could not be used to calculate world ranking, and Takahashi's ranking fell from first to second place.

2007–2008 season

In the 2007–2008 season, he won gold at both his Grand Prix events and then silver at the Grand Prix Final behind Stéphane Lambiel. A few weeks later, he won his third Japanese national title and was named to the Four Continents and Worlds teams.

Takahashi won the 2008 Four Continents, scoring a new record in the free skate (175.84) and in the total score (264.41) under the ISU Judging System.

He was considered a favorite heading into the 2008 World Championships but finished off the podium after a disappointing free skate in which he fell on his second quad toe attempt, then stumbled on a triple axel and triple loop, and, finally, performed an extra combination, an invalid element, which did not count towards his points total.

2008–2009 season

Takahashi was originally assigned to the 2008 Cup of China and the 2008 NHK Trophy for the 2008-2009 Grand Prix season. He had to withdraw after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on October 31, 2008, only a few days before his first event. It was later reported that Takahashi would undergo surgery to repair ligament damage and his right meniscus and would miss the entire 2008-2009 season. A bolt was inserted into his right knee. He was able to return to the ice in April and began practicing jumps in June.

2009–2010 season

After recovering from the surgery and getting back to training normally, Takahashi was assigned to compete at the 2009 Skate Canada International and 2009 NHK Trophy for the 2009-2010 season. He placed second at Skate Canada and fourth at the NHK Trophy. Those placements qualified him to compete in the Grand Prix Final. At the final, he led after the short program with a new personal best of 89.95, but was fifth in the free skate and fifth overall.

He won his fourth national title at the 2009-2010 Japanese Championships. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Takahashi won the bronze medal with a score of 247.43. It is the first Olympic medal to be won by Japan in men's figure skating. He then won the gold medal at 2010 World Championships, becoming the first Asian to win a world championship in men's singles. In this competition Takahashi attempted a quadruple flip, but two-footed the landing.

2010–2011 season

For the 2010-2011 ISU Grand Prix season, Takahashi will compete in the 2010 NHK Trophy and the 2010 Skate America. At the 2010 NHK Trophy, he placed first with 234.79 points, 16.60 ahead of silver medalist Jeremy Abbott. Takahashi won 2010 Skate America as well, despite flawed short and free skates. During a practice session at the Grand Prix Final, Takahiko Kozuka inadvertently collided with him while Takahashi was doing his run-through; Takahashi said, "it wasn't such a serious injury, just a bit of bruising. [...] It was the first time for me (to be involved in such an accident). I was surprised but there was no malice involved." Takahashi placed third in the short program. In the long program, he attempted a quad flip but landed it two-footed. Multiple problems, including low levels on two spins, resulted in a sixth place finish in that segment, dropping him to fourth overall.

Takahashi won the bronze medal at the 2010–2011 Japan Nationals. At the 2011 World Championships he was third in the short program but finished in fifth overall. In the long program, a screw in his boot came loose on his first element, a quad toe. The Japanese team was able to get it fixed within the three minutes allowed and he resumed his program. He said it may occur at any time regardless of inspections, which his coach does every day, and he does not blame her. On May 19, Takahashi underwent surgery to remove a bolt in his right knee stemming from surgery in late 2008. Following the surgery, he said, "It is thinner around my knee, but I feel better now that there is nothing inside my body. I might be imagining it, but it feels lighter."

2011–2012 season

As part of his preparation for the 2011–2012 season, Takahashi spent two weeks in August 2011 working with ice dancing specialist Muriel Boucher-Zazoui in Lyon, France. His assigned Grand Prix events are 2011 Skate Canada and 2011 NHK Trophy.

Coaching changes

Takahashi is a student at Kansai University, along with Nobunari Oda. For several years, he split his time between Hackensack, New Jersey, where he trained under coach Nikolai Morozov, and Osaka, Japan, where he trains under coach Utako Nagamitsu and jump coach Takeshi Honda. In May 2008, Takahashi announced that he would be parting ways with Morozov.

In May 2008, Nikolai Morozov explained the split by stating that he could no longer coach Takahashi due to problems with Takahashi's new agent.

Public life and endorsements

Following his win the silver medal at 2007 Worlds, Takahashi made many media appearances and performed in many ice shows in Japan. He was also invited to the French team's show ''Stars Sur Glace (Stars On Ice)'' in Paris, France. It was the first guest performance at the foreign show for him. In 2008, he performed at ''Festa On Ice'' in South Korea.

In July 2007, the Japanese Olympic Committee has selected Takahashi as one of the "JOC symbol athletes" (JOC has paid about 20 million yen per year to the symbol athletes for the image rights. JOC partner companies can use images of JOC Symbol Athletes for free). After he became the "JOC symbol athletes", he has received material assistances from JOC partner companies.

After his won at 2010 Worlds, Takahashi appeared as a guest on many TV shows and as advertising spokespersons for "Use pesticides safety campaign" and Japan Post.

Programs

! Season	Short program (figure skating)>Short program	! Free skating	! Exhibition
! 2010–2011	Historia de un Amor played by Perez Prado Que Rico El Mambo by Perez Prado choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne	Invierno Porteño by Tango Siempre composed by Ástor Piazzolla choreography by Pasquale Camerlengo
! 2009–2010		La Strada by Nino Rota choreography by Pasquale Camerlengo
! 2008–2009	Did not compete this season	Did not compete this season	Did not compete this season
! 2007–2008	Swan Lake Hip Hop version Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky remix choreography by Nikolai Morozov		Bachelorette (song)
! 2006–2007	Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 by [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreography by Nikolai Morozov
! 2005–2006			Nocturne (Secret Garden song)
! 2004–2005	Nyah from ''[[Mission: Impossible II'' by Hans Zimmer choreography by Tatiana Tarasova	Sabre Dance from ''Gayane (ballet)>Gayane'' by Aram Khachaturian	Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo	Nocturne (Secret Garden song)
! 2003–2004	Nyah from ''[[Mission: Impossible II'' by Hans Zimmerchoreography by Tatiana Tarasova	Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Variation on a Theme of Niccolò Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoffchoreography by Tatiana Tarasova	Desert Rose (Sting song)
! 2002–2003
! 2001-2002	[[West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein

Competitive highlights

align="center" bgcolor="CC9966">3rd

Event

! 2000–01

! 2001–02

! 2002–03

! 2003-04

! 2004–05

! 2005–06

! 2006–07

! 2007–08

! 2009–10

! 2010–11

Figure skating at the Winter Olympics

Winter Olympic Games

|

8th

3rd

World Figure Skating Championships

World Championships

|

11th

15th

2nd

4th

1st

5th

Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

Four Continents Championships

|

13th

6th

3rd

1st

1st

World Junior Figure Skating Championships

World Junior Championships

|

1st

Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships

Japan Junior Championships

|

4th

1st

Japanese Figure Skating Championships

Japanese Championships

|

5th

4th

3rd

6th

1st

1st

1st

1st

3rd

Grand Prix Final

|

3rd

2nd

2nd

5th

4th

NHK Trophy

|

8th

3rd

1st

1st

4th

1st

Skate America

|

1st

1st

1st

Skate Canada International

|

7th

2nd

2nd

Trophée Eric Bompard

|

5th

11th

Finlandia Trophy

|

1st

Figure skating at the Winter Universiade

Winter Universiade

|

1st

1st

2001–2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix

ISU Junior Grand Prix Final

|

4th

2001–2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix

Junior Grand Prix, Japan

|

1st

2001–2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix

Junior Grand Prix, Bulgaria

|

2nd

2000–2001 ISU Junior Grand Prix

Junior Grand Prix, Ukraine

|

8th

2000–2001 ISU Junior Grand Prix

Junior Grand Prix, China

|

9th

WD = Withdrew; Takahashi did not compete in the 2008–2009 season.

References

External links

Category:1986 births Category:Figure skaters at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Figure skaters at the 2007 Winter Universiade Category:Gold medalists at the 2007 Winter Universiade Category:Japanese male single skaters Category:Living people Category:Olympic figure skaters of Japan Category:People from Okayama Prefecture Category:Figure skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Japan Category:Olympic medalists in figure skating

cs:Daisuke Takahaši de:Daisuke Takahashi es:Daisuke Takahashi fr:Daisuke Takahashi ko:다카하시 다이스케 it:Daisuke Takahashi ja:高橋大輔 (フィギュアスケート選手) no:Daisuke Takahashi pl:Daisuke Takahashi pt:Daisuke Takahashi ru:Такахаси, Дайсукэ simple:Daisuke Takahashi fi:Daisuke Takahashi sv:Daisuke Takahashi tr:Daisuke Takahashi uk:Такахасі Дайсуке zh:高橋大輔

name	Liu Wen
birth name	Liu Wen
birth date	January 27, 1988
birth place	Yongzhou, Hunan, China
height
haircolor	Black
eyecolor	Black
measurements	80-59.5-87.5 (EU); 31.5-23.5-34.5 (US) | weight 50kg (110lb)
dress size	4 (US) ; 34 (EU)
shoesize	8 (US) ; 39 (EU)
agency	Marilyn Agency, New York and Paris D'management Group, Milan
spouse	}}

Liu Wen (; born January 27, 1988) is a Chinese fashion model. In 2010, she became a face of Estée Lauder.

Early life

Liu was born on January 27, 1988, in Yongzhou, a city in the Hunan province of China. Because of China's official "one-child" policy Liu is an only child. Her mother and father were ordinary workers in this small village not far from Beijing. Before modelling full time she was working as a tour guide. Her mother always encouraged her to eat well and encouraged her to enter the modeling contest which led to her discovery.

Early career and success

Liu started her modeling career in 2005 when she entered the ''New Silk Road World Model Contest'', a contest previously won by international covergirl Du Juan, hoping to win a computer which was the main prize. Although she did not win, she began working as a model after the contest and became a national success when she landed the cover of ''Chinese FHM'' at this, the very beginning her modeling career. She then began working for Chinese fashion magazines like ''Vogue'' and ''Harper's Bazaar''.

In September 2007, Liu caught the eye of the international fashion industry when she shot a ''Cosmo'' editorial in clothes designed by Karl Lagerfeld and Viktor and Rolf and would later walk for each designer. She then was ushered to Paris in 2008, and signed with Marilyn Agency.

In February of the same year, she appeared in four editorials for ''Chinese Vogue''. She debuted on the international runways in the same month, closing the fall Trussardi show in Milan, and also walked for Shiatzy Chen, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Hermès.

For the Spring 2009 season, she appeared in seven major campaigns, including DKNY Jeans, The GAP, Barneys New York, Benetton, Alexander Wang, Converse, and cKone. She has also appeared in campaigns for Bergdorf Goodman, Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, and Vivienne Tam. She has appeared in editorials for Chinese ''Elle'', ''Marie Claire'', ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Allure'', ''i-D''(as well as a cover), ''Interview'', ''V'', ''W'', and Italian, American, Chinese, British, Portuguese, German, French, Spanish, and ''Teen Vogue''

In 2009, Liu became the first woman of East Asian descent to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Liu also participated in the 2010 show.

For the Spring 2010 Ready-to-wear season, she walked more than 70 shows in New York, Paris and Milan which made her the second most booked model for the season following French model Constance Jablonski.

In April 2010, it was announced that Liu and Jablonski would join the roster of faces of the cosmetics company Estée Lauder. Liu is the first Asian face of the company.

She is currently ranked 6th on the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com.

Before modelling, Liu studied tourism and worked as a tour guide where she met people from many different countries. After modeling she thinks she might try being a photographer or an actress. She enjoys modeling and working in the fashion industry with many talented people, but she regards fashion designing as being "very hard work."

References

External links

The First Asian Face of Estée Lauder

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:Chinese female models Category:People from Yongzhou

gan:劉雯 id:Liu Wen it:Liu Wen lb:Liu Wen ja:リウ・ウェン vi:Lưu Văn zh:劉雯

Name	Brandon Mroz
Country
Fullname	Brandon Mroz
Birth date	December 22, 1990
Birth place	St. Louis, Missouri
Residence	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Height
Coach	Tom Zakrajsek Becky Calvin
Formercoach	Doug Leigh
Choreographer	Catarina Lindgren Lori Nichol
Formerchoreographer	Tom Dickson Kurt Browning
Skating club	Broadmoor Skating Club
Currenttraininglocations	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Beganskating	1994
Worldranking	23 ('''')
Pbrankings	17 (''2010–2011'') 23 (''2009–2010'') 19 (''2008–2009'')
Combined total	216.80
Combined date	2010 Cup of China
Sp score	76.10
Sp date	2009 Worlds
Fs score	146.96
Fs date	2010 Cup of China }}

Brandon Mroz (born December 22, 1990) is an American figure skater. He is the 2009 U.S. silver medalist and the 2006 & 2007 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist.

Personal life

Brandon Mroz was born in St. Louis, Missouri, one of four brothers. His mother and a brother suffered serious injuries in a car accident. Mroz's mother was at one time a synchronized skater, and his father a hockey player.

Mroz hopes to study medicine. He lives and trains in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition to singles skating, he has also trained as an ice dancer and tested in that discipline up to silver level in the U.S. Figure Skating testing structure.

Career

Early career

Mroz began skating at age 3 and a half.

In the 2001–2002 season, Mroz competed on the Juvenile level, the lowest competitive level in the United States. He represented the St Louis Skating Club in competition. He won his regional competition, the Upper Great Lakes Regional Championship, to qualify at the Juvenile level for the 2002 U.S. Junior Championships, where he placed 6th in his qualifying group and went on to place 18th overall.

In the 2002–2003 season, Mroz moved up to the Intermediate level. He won both the short program and the free skate at his regional competition to win the gold medal overall. By this win he qualified to compete at the Intermediate level at the 2003 U.S. Junior Championships, where he placed second in his qualifying group, 16th in the short program, and 7th in the free skate to place 11th overall.

In the 2003–2004 season, Mroz moved up to the Novice level. At the regional championship, the first qualifying competition for the United States Figure Skating Championships, Mroz won the short program and the free skate to win the gold medal overall. This win qualified him for the 2004 Midwestern Sectional Championships, the second and final qualifying competition for the national championships. At the sectional championships, Mroz placed fourth in the short program and second in the free skate to win the silver medal overall. With this medal he qualified for the 2004 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Novice level. At the 2004 U.S. Championships, Mroz placed 7th in the short program and the free skate to place 7th overall. Following the national championships, Mroz competed at the 2004 Copenhagen Trophy, where he won the novice men's competition after winning both segments of the competition

In the 2004–2005 season, Mroz remained on the Novice level. At his regional championships, he placed second in the short program and in the free skate to win the silver medal overall. This medal qualified him for the Midwestern Sectional Championships. At the sectional championships, Mroz placed 8th in the short program and 5th in the free skate to place 6th overall. Due to this placement, he did not qualify for the 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

In the 2005–2006 season, Mroz remained on the Novice level for a third and final season. He had moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for his training, and represented the Broadmoor Skating Club there. A switch of club meant a change of region. Competing at the Southwestern Regional Championship, Mroz won the short program and the free skate to win the gold medal overall. This win qualified him for the 2006 Midwestern Sectional Championships. At the sectional championships, Mroz competed for the first time under the ISU Judging System. He won the short program and placed second in the free skate to win the gold medal overall, ahead of Eliot Halverson. This win qualified him, again, for the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

At the 2006 U.S. Championships, Mroz won the short program by a point margin of 1.48. He placed third in the free skate, 5.25 points behind the leader in that segment. Mroz won the silver medal overall, placing 2.26 points behind champion Eliot Halverson and 2.94 points ahead of bronze medalist Curran Oi. In his free skate at the U.S. Championships, Mroz landed all the triples except for the Axel, including a triple lutz-triple toe combination.

Junior career

After the 2006 U.S. championships, Mroz was assigned to the 2006 Triglav Trophy. Competing on the junior level for the first time in his career, Mroz won both the short and free programs to win the gold medal overall, winning the title by 25.84 points ahead of silver medalist Jamie Forsythe.

In the 2006–2007 season, Mroz moved up to the Junior level on the national level, and he debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. At his first Junior Grand Prix event, the 2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Mexico City, Mexico, Mroz placed 11th in the short program and the won the free skate to take the silver medal overall, placing 7.53 points behind champion Kevin Reynolds and 0.16 points head of bronze medalist Daisuke Murakami. At Mroz's second event, the Junior Grand Prix event in Taipei City, Taiwan, Mroz won the short program and placed second in the free skate to win the gold medal overall, placing 7.73 points ahead of silver medalist Reynolds.

These two medals qualified Mroz for the 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix, to which he was the fourth-ranked qualifier overall. By qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final, Mroz also earned a bye to the national championships and so did not need to compete at qualifying events.

At the 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, Mroz placed 5th in the short program and 2nd in the free skate. He won the silver medal overall, placing 20.07 points behind champion Stephen Carriere and 6.76 ahead of bronze medalist Reynolds.

Mroz then competed at the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. At the U.S. Championships, Mroz placed second in the short program and third in the free skate. He won the silver medal overall, placing 9.23 points behind champion Eliot Halverson and 0.62 points ahead of bronze medalist Austin Kanallakan This was the second consecutive year in which Halverson and Mroz had won gold and silver at national championships.

After the national championships, Mroz was placed on the team for the 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. At the World Junior Championships, Mroz placed 7th in the short program and 2nd in the free skate to place 4th overall, finishing exactly two points behind bronze medalist Sergei Voronov and 0.08 points ahead of 5th place finisher Kevin Reynolds

In the 2007–2008 season, Mroz remained on the Junior level both nationally and internationally. He competed for the second consecutive season on the Junior Grand Prix. At his first event, the 2007-2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Vienna, Austria, he placed fourth in the short program and won the free skate to win the gold medal overall, placing 1.69 points ahead of silver medalist Guan Jinlin. At his second event, the Junior Grand Prix event in Chemnitz, Germany, he again placed 4th in the short program and won the free skate to win the gold medal overall, this time with a 3.30 margin of victory over silver medalist Michal Březina.

These two medals qualified Mroz for the 2007–2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, for which he was the highest-ranked qualifier. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, Mroz placed second in both segments of the competition to win the silver medal overall, placing 15.86 points behind champion Adam Rippon and 5.30 points ahead of bronze medalist Armin Mahbanoozadeh. This was the first time that the United States had swept the Junior Grand Prix Final men's podium.

By qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final, Mroz had a bye to the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. At the U.S. Championships, Mroz competed for the second time on the junior level. He placed 3rd in the short program and 2nd in the free skate to win the silver medal overall, 10.13 points behind champion Rippon.

After the national championships, Mroz was placed on the team to the 2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. At the World Junior Championships, Mroz placed 3rd in the short program after landing a triple axel-triple toe loop combination. He placed 5th in the free skate to place 4th overall, placing 3.40 points behind bronze medalist Guan Jinlin.

Senior career

In the 2008–2009 season, Mroz moved up to the Senior level both nationally and internationally. He debuted on the Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit. At his first event, the 2008 Skate Canada International, he placed 6th in the short program and 7th in the free skate to place 7th overall. During his free skate at Skate Canada International, he was credited with a quadruple toe loop jump.

Mroz went on to compete at the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, his second Grand Prix event. He placed 6th in the short program and 5th in the free skate to place 5th overall.

Due to the timing of his Grand Prix events, Mroz had a bye to the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. At the U.S. Championships, Mroz placed 4th in the short program after being credited with landing a triple axel as his required element axel jump and a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination as his combination jump. He placed 2nd in the free skate, in which he was credited with landing a quadruple toe loop jump and eight triple jumps, including a triple lutz-triple toe loop jump. He won the silver medal overall, placing 12.19 points behind champion and training-mate Jeremy Abbott and 0.60 points ahead of Evan Lysacek.

Following the national championships, Mroz was assigned to the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. At the Four Continents Championships, Mroz placed 5th in the short program after landing a triple axel, a triple flip, and a triple lutz-triple toe combination. In the free skate, Mroz placed 9th, after landing a quadruple toe loop jump, but making errors on several other jumps, including his triple axel. He placed 8th overall.

In his debut at the senior World Championships, Mroz skated a strong short program to place 8th in that segment of the competition. He placed 13th in the free skate to finish 9th overall. His placement, combined with that of World Champion Evan Lysacek, earned the United States the maximum three entries to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Mroz won his first medal on the senior Grand Prix by capturing silver at 2010 Cup of China. At 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard, he won a bronze medal.

Coaches and choreographers

From 2001 through 2004, Mroz was coached by Shannon Nester and Debbie Howe. From 2002 through 2004, he was coached by Doug Leigh and Michelle Leigh in Barrie, Ontario. In 2005, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado and began being coached by Tom Zakrajsek. In spring 2011, he worked with Jeffrey Buttle for choreography.

Programs

! Season	! Short program	! Free skating	! Exhibition
! 2011–2012	Mack the Knife by Kurt Weill choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle	Carmen by Georges Bizet choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle
! 2010–2011	The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini	On the Waterfront by Leonard Bernstein
! 2009–2010	Temptation by Tito Puente Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Perez Prado Mambo Jambo by Terry Snyder	Symphony no. 5 Romance in F Major by Ludwig van Beethoven
! 2008–2009	Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks by Richard Strauss	Toccata and Fugue in D MinorandPrelude from Cello Suite No. 1 by J.S. Bach
! 2007–2008	Night by Modest Mussorgsky	King of the Forest by Edvin Marton
! 2006–2007	Improviso by Nino Rota
! 2005–2006	Montoona Clipper	The Incredibles

Competitive highlights

align="center">7th N. align="center" bgcolor="gold" align="center" bgcolor="silver" align="center" bgcolor="gold"

Event			! 2004–05	! 2005–06	! 2006–07	! 2007–08	! 2008–09	! 2009–10	! 2010–11	! 2011–12
World Figure Skating Championships	World Championships		|				9th
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships	Four Continents Championships	|					8th	4th
World Junior Figure Skating Championships	World Junior Championships	|			4th	4th
United States Figure Skating Championships	U.S. Championships	|		2nd N.	2nd J.	2nd J.	2nd	6th	7th
Cup of China	|							2nd
Skate America	|						8th
NHK Trophy	|								TBD
Cup of Russia	|						7th		TBD
Trophée Eric Bompard	|					5th		3rd
Skate Canada International	|					7th
2007-2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, Germany	|				1st
2007-2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, Austria	|				1st
2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, Taipei	|			1st
2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, Mexico	|			2nd
Triglav Trophy	|		1st J.
Copenhagen Trophy	1st N. ||
Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships	Midwestern Sectionals	2nd N. ||	6th N.	1st N.
Southwestern Regionals	|		1st N.
Upper Great Lakes Regionals	1st N. ||	2nd N.

N = Novice level; J = Junior level

References

External links

Category:American male single skaters Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:People from St. Louis, Missouri

ja:ブランドン・ムロズ ru:Мроз, Брэндон uk:Брендон Мроз

Name	Shoko Ishikawa
Fullname	Shoko Ishikawa
Country
Birth date	May 12, 1990
Birth place	Tokyo
Height
Coach	Nobuo Sato Kumiko Sato
Formercoach	Koji Okajima, Yutaka Higuchi Shizuka Nakaya
Choreographer	Noriko Sato
Skating club	Meiji University
Combined total	133.54
Combined date	2008 JGP Czech Republic
Sp score	53.52
Sp date	2008 JGP South Africa
Fs score	83.45
Fs date	2008 JGP Czech Republic }}

is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2008 Japanese junior bronze medalist. She placed 10th at the 2009 NHK Trophy.

Programs

! Season	! Short program	! Free skating
! 2011–2012	La Rosa (Tango) choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto	Miss Saigon choreo. by Shizuka Arakawa
! 2010–2011
! 2009–2010	Incantation from Quidam (Cirque du Soleil) by Benoît Jutras	Violin Concerto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Competitive highlights

align="center">11th

		2003-04	! 2004-05	! 2005-06	! 2006-07	! 2007-08	! 2008-09	! 2009-10	! 2010-11
Japan Figure Skating Championships	Japanese Championships		|			8th		26th	9th
Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships	Japanese Junior Championships	|	22nd	6th	12th	3rd	6th
NHK Trophy	|						10th
NRW Trophy	|							1st
Crystal Skate of Romania	|						3rd
2008-2009 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, South Africa	|					4th
2008-2009 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, Czech Republic	|					4th
2007-2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, Estonia	|				5th
2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix	Junior Grand Prix, Hungary	|			5th

References

Category:1990 births Category:Japanese female single skaters Category:People from Tokyo Category:Living people

ja:石川翔子 ru:Исикава, Сёко