Celtic becomes home to four Japanese national team players

Celtic has established itself as the European club with the most Japanese players — collecting four Samurai Blue players in their squad. This achievement shifts the position of Reims, which previously had three Japanese players.

Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate — the duo who faced the Indonesian National Team in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers — now have new compatriots at Celtic. The Bhoys brought in two new recruits from Japan:

• Shin Yamada — a player who just made his debut with the Japanese National Team at the EAFF E-1 Championship last month
• Hayato Inamura

Previously, Reims was home to the Japanese trio — Hiroki Sekine, Keito Nakamura, and Junya Ito — before the club was relegated from the French League.