Japan has qualified for pairs figure skating at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games starting in February, the Japan Skating Federation announced Wednesday.Japan clinched the spot after North Korea, which took one of the final Olympic berths in a qualifying event in September, failed to confirm its attendance with the world governing body by the Nov. 30 deadline.The North Korean pair of Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik finished third at the qualifier in Oberstdorf, Germany, at which five Olympic places were up for grabs.The pair representing Japan, Sumire Suto and Canadian Francis Boudreau-A…READ FULL ARTICLE