# 1997 Japan Open Tennis Championships – Women's singles

Kimiko Date was the defending champion but did not compete that year.
Ai Sugiyama won in the final 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 against Amy Frazier.

## Seeds

A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top two seeds received a bye to the second round.
* n/a
* Kimberly Po (semifinals)
* Amy Frazier (final)
* Ai Sugiyama (champion)
* Shi-Ting Wang (quarterfinals)
* Naoko Sawamatsu (quarterfinals)
* Naoko Kijimuta (second round)
* Tamarine Tanasugarn (first round)
* Annabel Ellwood (semifinals)

## Draw
### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Final

| Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 3 | Amy Frazier | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Ai Sugiyama | 4 | 6 | 6 |

### Section 1

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| | | | | | 9 | A Ellwood | 6 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | R Hiraki | 6 | 5 | 6 | | R Hiraki | 0 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | R Grande | 1 | 7 | 3 | | | | | | 9 | A Ellwood | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | J Lee | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | Q | J Lee | 1 | 4 | | | | |
| LL | M Miyauchi | 6 | 3 | 3 | Q | J Lee | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Saeki | 6 | 6 | | | M Saeki | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | T Tanasugarn | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | 9 | A Ellwood | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | A Frazier | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | A Frazier | 6 | 6 |
| Q | Y Hosoki | 1 | 2 | | 3 | A Frazier | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Glass | 1 | 1 | r | | Y Yoshida | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Y Yoshida | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | 3 | A Frazier | 7 | 7 | | | | |
| | N Miyagi | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | 6 | N Sawamatsu | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | M Endo | 6 | 6 | | | M Endo | 1 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| LL | J Chi | 3 | 4 | | 6 | N Sawamatsu | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | N Sawamatsu | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Section 2

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 7 | N Kijimuta | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| LL | E-H Kim | 3 | 2 | | 7 | N Kijimuta | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S-H Park | 3 | 2 | | | C Morariu | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | C Morariu | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | C Morariu | 6 | 2 | | | | | | |
| | A Dechaume-Balleret | 4 | 0 | | | | | | 4 | A Sugiyama | 7 | 6 | | | | | | |
| | M Tu | 6 | 6 | | | M Tu | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | G Helgeson-Nielsen | 3 | 5 | | 4 | A Sugiyama | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | A Sugiyama | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | A Sugiyama | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | S-T Wang | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | K Po | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| WC | H Inoue | 1 | 1 | | 5 | S-T Wang | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | E Tatarkova | 3 | 1 | | | K Kschwendt | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | K Kschwendt | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 5 | S-T Wang | 6 | 3 | 3 | | | | | |
| | J Watanabe | 7 | 4 | 6 | | | | | 2 | K Po | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| Q | N Vaidyanathan | 5 | 6 | 0 | | J Watanabe | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | K Po | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |