She made her Olympic debut when she represented Japan in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano at age 16 .
Arakawa was the senior national Japanese champion in both 1998 and 1999 .
She made her Olympic debut when she represented Japanese in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano at age 16 .
Arakawa was the senior national Japanese champion in both 1998 and 1999 .