The Japanese players starring in the Bundesliga in 2026/27
How are the likes of Yuito Suzuki, Ritsu Dōan, Hiroki Ito and Shūto Machino faring this season? Read on for more on the Bundesliga's Japanese stars...
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 28 (born 16 June 1998)
Games played: 3
Starts: 3
Last season
Dōan registered 10 goal involvements across the season in Frankfurt, before featuring for his country at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Last Matchday
After missing Eintracht's opening game of the season with a muscle injury, the right winger has since returned to Adi Hütter's chosen XI. On Matchday 4, he started the 2-2 home draw with Freiburg, registering an assist before being substituted in the 61st minute.
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Centre-back
Age: 27 (born 12 May 1999)
Games played: 0
Starts: 0
Last season
Injury once again disrupted Ito's second season at champions Bayern, but he did enjoy a mini run in the starting line-up during the business end of the campaign.
Last Matchday
The hard-working defender remained on the bench during Bayern's thumping 7-0 victory over Union Berlin.
Club: Mainz
Position: Midfield
Age: 25 (born 30 December 2000)
Games played: 4
Starts: 4
Last season
Sano started every game for the second season in a row as Mainz flirted with the drop before climbing the league ladder to finish 10th. He also produced his first four Bundesliga goal involvements.
Last Matchday
The tireless midfielder continued his incredible run of starts, playing the full 90 minutes of the 05ers' rip-roaring 4-3 success at Mönchengladbach and providing an assist for Eric Martel in the 78th minute to boot.
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Striker
Age: 26 (born 30 September 1999)
Games played: 2
Starts: 0
Last season
Machino played a bit-part role in his debut season at Gladbach, producing just three strikes in 32 outings. He was included in Japan's FIFA World Cup squad, making a brief appearance against Brazil.
Last Matchday
The former Holstein Kiel striker made his second appearance of the season on Matchday 4, coming off the bench late on and scoring a consolation goal from the penalty spot in the Foals' 4-3 home defeat at the hands of Mainz.
Club: Hoffenheim
Position: Defender
Age: 29 (born 25 August 1997)
Games played: 2
Starts: 1
Last season
Machida suffered a serious knee injury on his Bundesliga debut that ruled him out for the season.
Last Matchday
The international started Hoffenheim's away clash with Paderborn on Matchday 4 - just his second Bundesliga appearance in over a year.
Club: Mainz
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25 (born 30 July 2001)
Games played: 0
Starts: 0
Last season
Despite fitness troubles that restricted Kawasaki to 10 Bundesliga appearances, Mainz triggered their option to buy the Kyoto Sanga loanee with two months of the 2025/26 season remaining.
Last Matchday
Kawasaki was not included in the Matchday 4 squad for Mainz's impressive win at Borussia-Park.
Club: Freiburg
Position: Midfielder
Age: 24 (born 25 October 2001)
Games played: 4
Starts: 4
Last season
Suzuki recorded four goals and three assists in the Bundesliga, before unfortunately suffering a broken collarbone with two games - and the UEFA Europa League final - still to play.
Last Matchday
The attacking midfielder played for 84 minutes and scored a second-half equaliser as Freiburg 2-2 at Frankfurt to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Left-back
Age: 20 (born 18 March 2006)
Games played: 4
Starts: 4
Last season
Kosugi did not see any playing time for Eintracht last campaign - although he did make the matchday squad on seven occasions.
Last Matchday
The young defender played the full 90 minutes as Frankfurt shared the spoils with Freiburg on Saturday.
Club: Freiburg
Position: Forward
Age: 21 (born 3 June 2005)
Games played: 4
Starts: 0
Last season
After scoring 10 goals and registering five assists in 28 appearances for Belgian Jupiler Pro League outfit Sint-Truiden - on loan from Anderlecht - last season, the Japan international secured a move to Freiburg.
Last Matchday
Gotō was subbed on in the 84th minute of Freiburg's draw in Frankfurt.
Club: Freiburg
Position: Defensive midfielder
Age: 24 (born 12 December 2001)
Games played: 0
Starts: 0
Last season
Yamamoto made 38 appearances and provided five goals, plus six assists, as Sint-Truiden took a sensational third-placed finish in 2025/26 before switching to the Breisgau club.
Last Matchday
Still a little lacking in match fitness, Yamamoto was omitted from Freiburg's squad to face Eintracht on Matchday 4.
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Centre-back
Age: 29 (born 27 January 1997)
Games played: 4
Starts: 4
Last season
Leaving Gladbach for Dutch Eredivisie side Ajax in 2025, Itakura returned to the Foals on a permament basis in the summer.
Last Matchday
The international defender played 84 minutes of the Foals' home defeat by Mainz.
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Right-back
Age: 27 (born 17 May 1999)
Games played: 2
Starts: 1
Last season
On Slavia Prague's books since summer 2025, the right back spent the second half of last season on loan at Gent before completing a loan move to Gladbach.
Last Matchday
Hashioka had missed the Foals' last two league games through injury, but returned to make a cameo appearance in the 76th minute of his side's home reverse versus Mainz.
Zento Uno
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Midfielder
Age: 22 (born 20 November 2003)
Games played: 0
Starts: 0
Last season
The Japan international was made captain at Shimizu S-Pulse, where he made 17 appearances for the club in 2026, before becoming the latest Japanese player to represent Gladbach after securing a summer move.
Last Matchday
Uno missed Gladbach's defeat by Mainz as he continues to work his way back from a muscle injury.
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Striker
Age: 18 (born 25 October 2007)
Games played: 0
Starts: 0
Last season
Kumashiro scored 10 goals in 11 appearances for Frankfurt's reserves, following his January switch from Roasso Kumamoto.
Last Matchday
The precocious forward was not included in the matchday squad for the Eagles' Matchday 4 draw with Freiburg.
Club: Schalke
Position: Defensive midfielder
Age: 24 (born 13 August 2002)
Games played: 3
Starts: 3
Last season
Schalke's new midfield enforcer made 13 Bundesliga 2 appearances for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the second half of 2025/26, earning a move to the Gelsenkirchen club.
Last Matchday
Tanaka played 78 minutes of the Royal Blues' 0-0 stalemate with Elversberg before being substituted.
Japanese players in Bundesliga 2
Joel Chima Fujita (St. Pauli)
Tomoya Andō (St. Pauli)
Taichi Hara (St. Pauli)
Nick Schmidt (St. Pauli)
Kento Shiogai (Wolfsburg)
Koji Miyoshi (Bochum)
Yosuke Furukawa (Darmstadt)
Hiroki Akiyama (Darmstadt)
Shinta Appelkamp (Greuther Fürth)
Shio Fukuda (Karlsruhe)
Taisei Abe (Holstein Kiel)
Hiroki Sekine (Holstein Kiel)
Niko Takahashi (Holstein Kiel)
Hayate Matsuda (Hannover)
