OMITAMA, Japan (AP) — Shuri Sakuma has won her first LPGA Tour title, taking the Toto Japan Classic on Sunday with a closing round of 8-under 64 for a four-stoke victory over fellow Japanese Aki Iwai.
Sakuma has won eight times previously on the LPGA of Japan Tour. She finished with a 72-hole total of 20-under 268. The victory makes her eligible to join the LPGA Tour, and she picked up $315,000 with the win.
Iwai, who had a one-stroke lead after the third round, slipped to a 71 for a four-day total of 272.
Erika Hara of Japan was third, five shots off the lead, and finished with a 70 at the Taiheiyo Club north of Tokyo.
Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand and Yuna Araki of Japan tied for fourth, both six shots off the lead. Yubol closed with an even-par 72 and Araki was in with a 70.
Defending champion Nasa Hataoka finished with a 71 and tied for sixth with three other players, all seven shots behind the winner. Hataoka was the leader after two rounds and won the event last year in a playoff in a rain-shortened tournament.
The Toto Japan Classic is the last of four tournaments on the LPGA’s so-called late-season Asian swing.
See AP’s full golf coverage here
Shuri Sakuma poses for a photo with her trophy after the Japan Classic golf tournament in Omitama, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, winning her first LPGA Tour title. (Katsuya Miyagawa/Kyodo News via AP)
Shuri Sakuma poses for a photo with her trophy after the Japan Classic golf tournament in Omitama, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, winning her first LPGA Tour title. (Katsuya Miyagawa/Kyodo News via AP)
Shuri Sakuma poses for a photo with her trophy after the Japan Classic golf tournament in Omitama, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, winning her first LPGA Tour title. (Katsuya Miyagawa/Kyodo News via AP)
TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake shook central Japan early Sunday, shattering store windows, causing people to flee buildings and leaving at least 22 people injured, according to local media.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency put the quake’s magnitude at 5.7, while the U.S. Geological Survey reported it at magnitude 5.5. Smaller aftershocks were reported.
A wide area near Aichi Prefecture was affected, including the city of Hamamatsu, the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara and nearby prefectures of Yamanashi, where Mount Fuji is located, as well as Gifu.
Japanese TV footage showed shattered store windows and scattered shards of glass on the streets. A bookstore was left with mounds of books that had flown off the shelves. The injuries included people who fell from stairs while they were trying to flee.
The quake, which struck at 1:04 a.m., was located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) below the earth's surface in Shizuoka Prefecture. Aichi and Shizuoka are neighboring regions. They are far enough from Tokyo that the quake was not felt there. The most violent shaking was felt in Aichi, according to official seismic assessments.
The meteorological agency warned people to brace for possible strong quakes in the coming week, especially the next two to three days.
“Please be on the lookout for mudslides, falling rocks and the possible effects from rainfall,” Ayataka Ebita, an agency official, told reporters.
He said no apparent change was detected so far to the Nankai Trough plate, where scientists say a megaquake can possibly hit.
The Shinkansen bullet trains were running at slower speeds in the affected areas as a precautionary measure. Sometimes quakes can damage the railways the trains run on.
Japan is located in an area that is prone to earthquakes. Authorities frequently instruct people to stock up on bottled water, food and batteries, have plans ready to hide under tables and keep comfortable walking shoes at hand.
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Shattered windows are seen at a car dealer following a strong earthquake in Toyohashi, Aichi prefecture, central Japan Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
An employee crouches amid books fallen from shelves following a strong earthquake in Toyota, Aichi prefecture, central Japan Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
An employee crouches amid books fallen from shelves following a strong earthquake in Toyota, Aichi prefecture, central Japan Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
A staff member of Japan’s Meteorological Agency speaks at a news conference in Tokyo Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, following a strong earthquake in central Japan. (Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Kyodo News via AP)
