Amuro Tsuzuki will join pro surfing's top-flight competition, the Championship Tour, next year, World Surf League's Japan office said Saturday.
The 18-year-old, World Surf League's women's world junior champion, is the second Japanese to join the elite tour, following men's competitor Kanoa Igarashi.
In September, Tsuzuki became the first Japanese woman to win a qualifying series tournament. She finished eighth in this year's series, which was set to promote the top seven finishers.
Tsuzuki, however, caught a break when the Championship Tour's reigning champion, Carissa Moore, said Friday she would take a break from competition in 2020.
Surfing will make its Olympic debut next summer, and Tsuzuki will have the opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo Games at the International Surfing Association's World Games in May.