catcher Hikaru Ito (36), who exercised his overseas free agent (FA) rights and transferred from DeNA to Rakuten Eagles, held a press conference at Rakuten Eagles Mobile on the 10th. number was decided to be "27," which was worn by outfielder Takero Okajima (36), who was in the same grade as him and retired at the end of this season.

When asked about his impression of Rakuten Eagles, he said, "They have a lot of young players. They're a team that's going to work hard from now on. I'm a veteran, but I think with me on the team, they'll become an even better team." He will be the oldest fielder along with infielder Daichi Suzuki, but he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I'll be 37 (next year), but I still think I'm young. I'm happy that people will support me as I work hard, and I really want to share my joy with the people of Tohoku."

Hikaru Ito joined Orix Buffaloes as a third-round draft pick in 2007. He transferred to DeNA midway through the 2018 season. He played in 1,063 NPB games, batting .235 with 262 RBI and 30 Home Run.