Nippon-Ham infielder Kotaro Kiyomiya (27) touched upon the news of Isao Harimoto's passing (aged 86) on the 10th.

Before starting practice ahead of the Softbank Hawks game, when asked about his impression of Harimoto-san, he compared it to what he had seen on the TBS show 'Sunday Morning,' saying, 'I thought the way he speaks so bluntly was quite interesting.'

Mr. Harimoto is an alumnus who started his professional career in 1959 with the Toei Flyers, the predecessor of Nippon-Ham. Kotaro Kiyomiya first met Mr. Harimoto and exchanged greetings during spring training in Nago, Okinawa, in 2018, his first year as a professional. Reflecting on the words of expectation he received after that, he said, "I clearly remember the feeling of knowing that he knew who I was. I recall being happy that he recognized me."

Upon hearing the sad news regarding his great senior, Kotaro Kiyomiya expressed a firm resolution. 'It is because of people like Mr. Harimoto that we are able to play like this today. We want to continue performing the kind of plays we inherited from him more and more.' After hitting his 18th Home Run of the season, tying his personal best, in the game against the Softbank Hawks on the 9th, Kiyomiya strengthened his resolve for further growth.