This is the 2026 season for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, the fifth year that Takeshi Shinjo has been in charge of the team. We have compiled a list of new players who have joined the team this season as it aims to win a long-desired league championship and become Japan's No. 1 team.

(as of January 29, 2026)

*Name (honorifics omitted)/Position/ number

New players
Jihide Okawa / pitcher / 27
Ed Polo Kane / outfielder / 42
Ruyan Otsuka / infielder / 49
Handa Minami Ju / infielder / 51
Kaito Fujimori / catcher / 57

Takuteru Tsunetani / infielder / 123
Eien Yokoyama / pitcher / 124

D〈Active Draft
Kikuchi Daijiki / pitcher / 55

[Claire] Transferring from another team.
Kohei Arihara / pitcher / 74
Hiroya Shimamoto / pitcher / 40
Haruki Nishikawa / outfielder / 7

[Claire] Foreign players.
Rodolfo Castro / infielder / 6
Saurin Rao / pitcher / 30

Reliable players in pitching and hitting returned to Hokkaido.

　Kohei Arihara pitcher is back after a six-year absence since 2020.Arihara pitcher joined Hokkaido Nippon-Ham as a 2014 draft pick and was an ace, opening pitcher the season in 2017 and 2020. Fukuoka Softbank After the move, he won the Pacific League most wins two years in a row. Hiromi Ito pitcher and Arihara pitcher, the two most winning pitcher starters together, should be a major driving force.

Haruki Nishikawa will carry the "7" of The Fighters for the first time in five years, since 2021. Last season, his second year in Tokyo Yakult, he played 49 games and batted .174 (115 At Bat 20 hit), 1 stolen base. Will he shine again at his old home?

　Kazunari Ishii Joining the infield lineup with a player out is Castro, a 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic. He played 133 minor league games last season, batting .235 with 19 Home Run and 18 stolen base runs batted in.