Curious about Suzuki, Dōan, Ito and Machino’s form this campaign? Keep reading for the latest on Bundesliga’s Japanese talents.
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Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 28 (born 16 June 1998)
Games played: 6
Starts: 6
Dōan registered 10 goal involvements across the season in Frankfurt, before featuring for his country at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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 7, he played 87 minutes against Borussia Dortmund but couldn’t prevent his side from losing 1-0 away from home.
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Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Centre-back
Age: 27 (born 12 May 1999)
Games played: 1
Starts: 0
Injuries again sidelined Ito during his sophomore year at Bayern, though he managed a brief spell in the lineup toward the season’s climax. The concern here is his recurring fitness woes.
The diligent centre‑back debuted this term in Bayern’s 3‑1 victory over Freiburg on Matchday 7, entering in the 86th minute for Lennart Karl.
Hiroki Ito has yet to feature for Bayern Munich in this Bundesliga season. – IMAGO/Bahho Kara
Club: Mainz
Position: Midfield
Age: 25 (born 30 December 2000)
Games played: 7
Starts: 7
Sano started every match for a second straight year as Mainz battled relegation before climbing to a respectable 10th place, also tallying his first quartet of goal contributions.
The indefatigable midfielder completed the full 90 minutes as Mainz fell 3‑2 at home to a Werder Bremen side powered by Niclas Füllkrug.
Kaishū Sano kept his impressive start streak alive on Matchday 6. – IMAGO/Fotostand / Racocha
Club: Hoffenheim
Position: Defender
Age: 29 (born 25 August 1997)
Games played: 5
Starts: 4
Machida endured a severe knee injury on his debut, condemning him to miss the remainder of the campaign.
The international defender played the entire match in Hoffenheim’s uplifting 3‑0 triumph over Leverkusen.
Koki Machida finally returned from his layoff against VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 3. – IMAGO/Oliver Zimmermann
Club: Freiburg
Position: Midfielder
Age: 24 (born 25 October 2001)
Games played: 6
Starts: 6
Suzuki logged four goals and three assists before a broken collarbone sidelined him with two games—and the Europa League final—still pending.
The attacking midfielder rejoined the squad on Matchday 7, completing the full encounter versus Bayern at Europa‑Park Stadion.
Yuito Suzuki has become a pivotal figure for Freiburg under Julian Schuster. – IMAGO/JOERAN STEINSIEK
Club: Freiburg
Position: Forward
Age: 21 (born 3 June 2005)
Games played: 6
Starts: 1
Last season
After netting ten goals and adding five assists in 28 matches for Belgium’s Sint‑Truiden on loan from Anderlecht, the Japanese international secured a transfer to Freiburg.
Gotō remained on the bench as his side fell at home to Bayern on Matchday 7.
Keisuke Gotō opened his Bundesliga scoring account on Matchday 5 against Schalke. – IMAGO/Arne Amberg
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Centre-back
Age: 29 (born 27 January 1997)
Games played: 4
Starts: 4
Last season
Having left Gladbach for Ajax in 2025, Itakura returned to the Foals on a permanent deal this summer.
The defender missed Gladbach’s victory over Stuttgart due to an ankle problem.
Ko Itakura now enjoys a second stint at Borussia Mönchengladbach after a season with Ajax. – IMAGO/Fotostand / Görtz
Zento Uno
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Midfielder
Age: 22 (born 20 November 2003)
Games played: 3
Starts: 2
Last season
The Japan international captained Shimizu S‑Pulse in 2026, making 17 appearances before becoming the latest Japanese signing for Gladbach this summer.
Uno started consecutively as Gladbach beat Stuttgart for their first win, also delivering the assist for Joe Scally’s equaliser.
Zento Uno joins three other Japanese players on Borussia Mönchengladbach’s roster this term. – IMAGO/Norbert Jansen / fohlenfoto
Club: Schalke
Position: Defensive midfielder
Age: 24 (born 13 August 2002)
Games played: 6
Starts: 6
Last season
Schalke’s new midfield enforcer logged 13 second‑division appearances for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the latter half of 2025/26, earning his move to Gelsenkirchen.
Tanaka completed the full 90 minutes of the Royal Blues’ goalless stalemate in Cologne.
Satoshi Tanaka made his Bundesliga debut versus Bayern on Matchday 2. Will he cement a regular spot as the season progresses? – IMAGO/Anke Waelischmiller/Sven Simon