Takamoto Katsuta started strongly, running inside the top six through the opening stages before climbing to fourth as rivals encountered trouble. The fast Finnish gravel then began to take its toll, with Katsuta slipping to eighth during Saturday's demanding loop before recovering to sixth heading into Sunday's finale.
The decisive moment came on the Wolf Power Stage, where Katsuta struck a tree and reached the finish with significant front-end damage. Although he held on to sixth overall, the incident denied him a stronger finish and left him third in the championship standings, 30 points behind leader Elfyn Evans heading into the summer break.
In WRC3, Tomiya Maekawa enjoyed his strongest result of the season while co-driving for Finland's Jarkku Nikara. After dropping from fifth to fourteenth early in the rally, the pairing steadily climbed back through the order, moving into the top five during the closing stages before securing fourth overall in the category.
Takumi Matsushita also delivered another measured drive in WRC2. Starting 22nd in class, the Japanese driver consistently worked his way forward across the rally's four days, making his biggest gains in the final stages to finish ninth overall in WRC2 and eighth in the WRC2 Challenger classification.
While Finland ended with contrasting fortunes across the Japanese entries, Maekawa's career-best WRC3 finish and Matsushita's continued progression provided encouraging signs, even as Katsuta's late setback brought a frustrating conclusion to an otherwise competitive weekend.
