At a certain point, feds hands are tied. It would be completely unfair to the other athletes competing for spots if Yuzuru was handed one without competing at a single comp next season. Especially, condsidefing he’s not the reigning world champion, he got bronze, and there are other talented male skaters in Japan, so it’s not as though, he’s their only hope of getting a medal.

That being said, he doesn’t have to do the Grand Prix if he doesn’t want to (though from his interviews about the quad axel, it sounds like he wants to attempt it before the Olympics.) But he will at least have to compete at nationals UNLESS he’s seriously injured. He can’t jusf say “nah, I’m not feeling it” the whole season, and then be handed a spot.