2026 Worlds Men's Qualification: Why Japan Led on E-Scores

Information as of October 18, 2026. This is an analysis from the perspective of a former Japanese gymnast and the developer of a D-score calculator, based on the published D/E score breakdowns.

Men's qualification at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam finished on October 18 (local time). Japan topped the team standings with 254.529, and Shinnosuke Oka (85.098) and Daiki Hashimoto (84.632) qualified first and second into the all-around final. Below, we break down the D-scores (difficulty) and E-scores (execution) behind Japan's lead, and what to watch in the finals.

2026 Worlds Men's Qualification Results: Japan Qualifies First

Team qualification standings (the eight finalists)

In team qualification, each team of up to five gymnasts puts four up on every apparatus and counts the top three scores, according to the official championship directives. The top eight teams advance to the team final on October 20. Here are the results (full qualification scores with D, E, bonus and neutral deductions; list of finalists).

Japan's margin over Great Britain is 3.069. China sits fourth, 1.669 behind third place. Russia competes as "World Gymnastics 2" and Belarus as "World Gymnastics 1" at these championships (2026 Worlds overview).

How Japan's five gymnasts were used

Japan's team is Shinnosuke Oka, Daiki Hashimoto, Shohei Kawakami, Ryosuke Doi and Fusuke Maeda. Oka, Hashimoto and Kawakami competed all six events; Doi went up on floor, pommel horse, rings, vault and parallel bars; Maeda competed only on high bar.

• Shinnosuke Oka: 1st all-around (85.098). Paris 2024 Olympic all-around champion
• Daiki Hashimoto: 2nd all-around (84.632). Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion in the all-around and on high bar
• Shohei Kawakami: 1st on high bar (14.600), 5th on vault (14.283)
• Ryosuke Doi: 8th on floor (14.033). His floor, pommel horse and vault scores counted for the team
• Fusuke Maeda: 13.566 on high bar after a fall; the score was dropped

For the pre-competition analysis of the roster, see Japan's 2026 Worlds men's team: five gymnasts and their D-scores.

If you want to check how a routine adds up to a D-score yourself, Gymnastics AI — the D-score calculator follows the FIG 2025–2028 Code of Points. Pick skills from a database of 790+ elements and it totals difficulty values, element group requirements and the dismount value for you.

Key moments in qualification

According to International Gymnast, Japan took the lead after the fourth subdivision and stayed there through the last two. Japan's 44.466 on parallel bars was the highest apparatus total of any team. On high bar, however, Hashimoto fell on his Cassina and Maeda missed his final release, a Def.

Elsewhere, Gymnastics Now's live coverage noted that Great Britain's Joe Fraser, the 2025 world bronze medalist on high bar, missed the event final with 13.933.

Team Qualification Through D-Scores and E-Scores

Great Britain had more difficulty; Japan won on execution

A gymnastics score is "D-score (difficulty) + E-score (execution) + bonus − neutral deductions (line faults and similar)". For the basics, see our guide to the Code of Points, D-score and E-score. Breaking down the 18 counting routines shows exactly why Japan finished first.

Source: full qualification scores (D/E breakdown)

Great Britain's combined D-score of 98.200 is actually 0.1 higher than Japan's 98.100. In other words, Japan did not lead on difficulty — it led by out-executing Great Britain by 2.869 points. Spread across 18 routines, that is roughly 0.16 per routine earned on execution alone.

Apparatus totals: 44.466 on parallel bars stands out

Comparing team totals per apparatus (top three scores) shows where Japan is strong and where it is exposed.

Surprisingly, Japan trailed Great Britain on four events: floor, pommel horse, rings and vault. The gap came entirely from parallel bars (+1.567) and high bar (+2.668). On parallel bars, Oka (14.866), Hashimoto (14.800) and Kawakami (14.800) all scored in the 14.8 range, with Oka and Hashimoto earning E-scores above 9.1.

To see how swapping a single skill changes a D-score in a real routine, try Gymnastics AI. Line up parallel bars or high bar skills and it automatically adds difficulty values, element group credit and the dismount value.

High bar: two falls, still the best team total

Two of Japan's four high bar workers fell, but because qualification is "four up, three count," Maeda's 13.566 was dropped. The counting scores were Kawakami 14.600, Oka 14.500 and Hashimoto 13.700 — a 42.800 total, the best of any team.

Hashimoto's high bar carried a 6.2 D-score but only a 7.400 E-score. A fall costs 1.0 under the FIG Men's Code of Points 2025–2028. As explained below, the team final is "three up, three count," so a fall can no longer be dropped.

All-Around Qualification: Oka Leads, Kawakami Hits the Two-Per-Country Cap

D/E breakdown of the top all-arounders

The top 24 qualify to the all-around final, with a maximum of two per country. The top six scores break down as follows.

Source: all-around qualification scores. Totals include bonus and neutral deductions.

Oka's combined D-score of 32.000 is the lowest of Japan's three all-arounders. Yet his 52.998 E total was the highest among the leading all-arounders, and that put him first. Hashimoto, by contrast, posted 33.200 in D — tied with Colombia's Angel Barajas for the highest in qualification — but his high bar fall held down his E total and left him second.

83.699 is not enough for Kawakami to make the final

Kawakami's 83.699 beat Jarman's 83.698 by just 0.001, the fourth-best total in the field. But the all-around final allows no more than two gymnasts per federation, and Oka and Hashimoto took Japan's spots (championship directives).

For the same reason, Kawakami's 14.800 on parallel bars — the same score as Hashimoto — does not get him into that event final, because he was Japan's third-best scorer. The two-per-country rule makes Japan's depth unusually visible.

Hashimoto's six events

Hashimoto scored 14.533 on pommel horse (D 5.7, E 8.833), making him Japan's only pommel horse finalist. His six scores:

• Floor 13.600 (D 5.4) / Pommel horse 14.533 (D 5.7) / Rings 13.733 (D 5.1)
• Vault 14.266 (D 5.2) / Parallel bars 14.800 (D 5.6) / High bar 13.700 (D 6.2, fall)

His 6.2 high bar D-score is second only to Kawakami (6.3) among Japan's three all-arounders. In the all-around final, whether he hits that set will decide his position relative to Oka.

Japanese Event Finalists: All Six Apparatus Covered

Japan's event finalists

Each event final takes the top eight, with a maximum of two per country. Japan has at least one finalist on all six apparatus.

Sources: event finalists, full qualification scores

High bar: Kawakami qualifies first with a 6.3 D-score

Kawakami led high bar qualification with 14.600 (D 6.3, E 8.300), and Oka was third with 14.500 (D 5.8, E 8.700). Chinese Taipei's Tang Chia-Hung split them at 14.566, so the top three are within 0.1. Oka gives up 0.5 in difficulty and wins back 0.4 in execution — setting up a clear contrast in the final between Kawakami's difficulty and Oka's clean execution.

Parallel bars: how close can Japan get to Zou's 15.466?

Two-time Olympic champion Zou Jingyuan of China qualified first on parallel bars with 15.466. Illia Kovtun (Croatia) was second with 14.900, followed by Oka and Hashimoto. Oka is 0.600 behind Zou, so the question for the Japanese pair is how much of that gap their execution can close.

Team Final Outlook: LA 2028 Olympic Spots on the Line

How the team final differs from qualification

The scoring format changes for the team final (championship directives):

• Qualification: four gymnasts compete per apparatus and the top three count (one mistake can be dropped)
• Team final: three gymnasts compete per apparatus and all three count (every mistake goes into the total)
• Qualification scores do not carry over — the final total alone decides the ranking

We cover the difference in detail in how team scores are calculated in qualification and the final. Japan could drop a fall on high bar in qualification; in the final it cannot.

Top three teams earn LA 2028 Olympic team berths

This team final is also the first qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Under the FIG's LA 2028 artistic gymnastics qualification system, the three highest-ranked eligible National Olympic Committees in the team final each earn a team quota of five athletes.

On qualification numbers, Japan leads Great Britain by 3.069 and China by 7.036. But because nothing carries over, the final starts from zero.

What Japan needs to protect in the final

Based on the qualification breakdown, Japan's three priorities in the team final are:

1. Repeat the high E-scores on parallel bars — the event where it gained the most on Great Britain (+1.567)
2. Hit all three high bar routines — no drop score in the final, and two of four fell in qualification
3. Keep the pommel horse and rings gaps small — Japan trailed Great Britain by 0.233 and 0.567 in qualification

For the pre-competition strength analysis of Great Britain, China and the other contenders, see 2026 Worlds men's team final contenders by D-score.

2026 Worlds Men's Finals Schedule

Finals timetable

Local times are from the championship overview. Europe leaves daylight saving time before October 25, so the offset from Japan becomes eight hours that day.

What to keep in mind before watching

• The team final uses a different format from qualification: three up, three count
• Oka and Hashimoto both contest the all-around final, separated by 0.466 in qualification
• Japan has two finalists each on high bar (Kawakami, Oka) and parallel bars (Oka, Hashimoto)

The full schedule and venue details are in our 2026 Worlds Rotterdam schedule and viewing guide. Official updates on the Japanese team are posted by the Japan Gymnastics Association.

Summary

• Japan qualified first at the 2026 Worlds with 254.529, 3.069 ahead of Great Britain
• Great Britain had 0.1 more difficulty; Japan out-executed it by 2.869, with the gap coming from parallel bars and high bar
• Oka (85.098) leads the all-around qualification and Hashimoto (84.632) is second; Kawakami's 83.699 was fourth-best but the two-per-country rule keeps him out of the final
• Japan has finalists on all six apparatus, and Kawakami qualified first on high bar
• The team final (Oct 20, 19:00 local) is three up, three count, and the top three teams earn LA 2028 Olympic berths

If you want to check the D-scores of the routines while you watch the finals, give Gymnastics AI a try. It covers all six men's apparatus and is free on iOS and Android.

Related articles

• 2026 Worlds men's team final contenders by D-score
• 2026 Worlds men's event finals: D-score preview
• How team scores work in qualification and the final