Fujino made her own swimming history at the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, quickly claiming the bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley with a time of 4:45.79. The following year, Fujino picked up two more medals in the same stroke (silver in the 400, and bronze in the 200) at the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu, South Korea, posting respective marks of 2:17.41 and 4:48.44.