is a former Japanese figure skater. He won the Japan Figure Skating Championships

Japan Figure Skating Championships

The Japan or All-Japan Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Japan. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing, although not every discipline has been held...

 from 1972 to 1976 and represented Japan in the World Figure Skating Championships

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

 from 1973 to 1977.

After winning the bronze medal in the World Championships in 1977, he subsequently retired and became a national hero, as it was the first time that a Japanese figure skater had stood on a podium in that particular competition. This feat was not repeated by a male Japanese skater until Takeshi Honda

Takeshi Honda

in Kōriyama, Fukushima is a Japanese retired competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist , two-time Four Continents champion , and six-time Japan national champion.-Biography:...

 won the bronze medal in the World Championships in 2002.

In 1978, he turned professional and found "Viva! Ice World" (renamed "Prince Ice World" in 1988). It was the first ice show in Japan. In those days, he was considered a heartthrob in Japan.　He appeared on many television shows as an actor, TV presenter, or a guest.
He also released pop singles. His popularity helped to popularize figure skating in Japan.

Sano is currently a TV commentator and a figure skating instructor. His former students include Shizuka Arakawa

Shizuka Arakawa

is a Japanese figure skater.She is the 2006 Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles and the 2004 World Champion. Arakawa is the first Japanese skater to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating and the second Japanese skater to win any Olympic medal in figure skating, after Midori Ito, who won silver...

 and Yamato Tamura

Yamato Tamura

is a Japanese figure skater who competed in both singles and pairs. As a single skater, he is a two-time Japanese national champion. He represented Japan at the 1998 Winter Olympics, placing 17th...

.

Results

Event	1970-71	1971-72	1972-73	1973-74	1974-75	1975-76	1976-77
Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...						9th
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...			14th	8th	10th	7th	3rd
Japanese Championships Japan Figure Skating Championships The Japan or All-Japan Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Japan. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing, although not every discipline has been held...	3rd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st
Skate Canada International Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's...				3rd	2nd
Prize of Moscow News Prize of Moscow News The Prize of Moscow News , also known as the Moscow Skate, Nouvelles de Moscou, and the Moscow News Trophy, was an international, senior-level figure skating competition held in the former Soviet Union from 1966 to 1990...					3rd