Noriaki Kasai was second in qualifying on Saturday for the first jump of the prestigious Four Hills tournament, while fellow veteran Takanobu Okabe failed to qualify.
The 41-year-old Kasai, who is currently eighth on the World Cup circuit, received 151.2 points from his 135.0-meter jump. Norway's Anders Bardal led the qualifying with 153.9 points from a 134.0-meter effort. The 43-year-old Okabe, who is competing at an overseas World Cup meet for the first time in four seasons, was 63rd and failed to qualify for Sunday's competition.
Taku Takeuchi was 10th in qualifying, while Daiki Ito qualified in 14th place and Yuta Watase made the cut in 35th.