Japanese crowd favourite almost certain of World Darts Championship return after superb tournament weekend
PDC
Motomu Sakai has tightened his grip on a World Championship ticket. The Japanese ace rattled off 18 straight wins last weekend to sweep three consecutive Steel Tour Japan events. With four tournaments remaining, Sakai now holds a commanding lead at the top of the ranking.
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The 28-year-old was already rock-solid during June’s opening weekend of the Steel Tour Japan. Sakai reached all four finals and won the season’s first event. He maintained that momentum at Events 5 through 8 in Osaka.
The weekend actually opened with a title for Ryuta Arihara. The 38-year-old won Event 5, beating Ryusei Azemoto 5-2 in a dominant final. Arihara started his run with two whitewashes, then posted back-to-back 4-2 wins over Akimune Matsuyoshi and Hiroki Kaneko.
In the semi-finals Arihara proved far too strong for Sakai, winning 5-1. He averaged 97.43. He closed out the final against Azemoto with finishes of 81, 97 and 86.
Sakai sets off on an impressive run
From Event 6 onward, the stage belonged entirely to Sakai. He dropped just one leg in his first four matches. He then beat Azemoto 5-3 in a quality semi-final, averaging just under 97.
Joji Kanuma awaited in the final. Sakai opened with a 117 checkout and ran out a convincing 5-2 winner.
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Event 7 nearly ended at the first hurdle. Nobuhiro Yamamoto missed three match darts in a last-leg decider. Sakai survived, then hit stride with three straight 4-1 victories.
He took revenge on Arihara in the semi-finals, winning 5-2, before dispatching Tatsuya Uekusa by the same score in the final.
Motomu Sakai is already close to securing a spot at the next World Darts Championship
Eighteen wins on the spin
Sakai completed the hat-trick with the Event 8 title in Osaka. He opened with back-to-back whitewashes and then saw off Uekusa. In the quarter-finals he recovered from 3-2 down against Akito Yamagata and turned the match around.
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Shunta Takayama was beaten 5-2 in the semi-finals. In the final Sakai faced Kanuma again. As in Event 6, it finished 5-2. That extended Sakai’s winning streak to 18 matches and took his 2026 Steel Tour Japan title tally to four.
The winner of the Steel Tour Japan ranking after all 12 events qualifies for the 2027 World Darts Championship. With four events to play, Sakai boasts a sizeable cushion and is well placed for another trip to Alexandra Palace.
The finale comes next month. Events 9 to 12 will be played on 22.09.2026 and 23.09.2026 in Kanagawa.
Fans’ favourite at the last Worlds
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A return to Alexandra Palace would go down well with part of the English crowd. Sakai quickly became a fans’ favourite at the last World Darts Championship. His walk-on featured exuberant dance moves, eye-catching gestures and plenty of interaction with supporters. He kept entertaining during matches with his expressive style.
Sakai matched the show with results on stage. On his World Championship debut he swept aside Thibault Tricole 3-0, before losing to Andreas Harrysson in the second round.
Steel Tour Japan results
Event 5 final
| Ryuta Arihara | 5-2 | Ryusei Azemoto |
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Event 6 final
| Motomu Sakai | 5-2 | Joji Kanuma |
Event 7 final
| Motomu Sakai | 5-2 | Tatsuya Uekusa |
Event 8 final
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| Motomu Sakai | 5-2 | Joji Kanuma |
Steel Darts Japan Tour Order of Merit
| Rank | Name | Points |
| 1 | Motomu Sakai | 562 |
| 2 | Keita Ono | 278 |
| 3 | Joji Kanuma | 272 |
| 4 | Akimune Matsuyoshi | 260 |
| 5 | Mitsuhiko Tatsunami | 252 |
| 6 | Ryusei Azemoto | 244 |
| 7 | Akito Yamagata | 236 |
| 8 | Ryuta Arihara | 232 |
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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