Posted by Chinenye on Thu 10th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
Japanese baseball icon Isao Harimoto, who survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing as a child, has died at 86.
(Isao Harimoto. Photo Credit: BBC)
Japanese baseball legend Isao Harimoto, who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a child, has died in Tokyo at age 86.
Harimoto, known as the Hit Machine, holds the record for most hits in Japanese professional baseball with 3,085 hits over a 23-season career.
He remains the only player in Japanese professional baseball to reach 3,000 hits.
He also hit 504 home runs and stole 319 bases, making him the only Japanese player to record at least 500 home runs and 300 stolen bases.
Harimoto was an 18-time All-Star and helped the Toei Flyers win their first Japan Series championship in 1962.
He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Born Jang Hun in Hiroshima in 1940 to Korean parents, Harimoto later adopted a Japanese name and received Japanese citizenship.
He grew up during a time when Koreans faced discrimination in Japan.
His journey to baseball greatness overcame significant obstacles.
A childhood accident badly burned his right hand, restricting movement in his fingers.
He learned to throw and bat left-handed and used a specially made glove on his right hand.
On August 6, 1945, when he was five years old, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Harimoto recalled that his mother shielded him and his sister with her body during the blast.
Another sister was killed in the bombing.
Despite these hardships, Harimoto built one of Japan's greatest baseball careers.
He joined the Toei Flyers in 1959 and played for them for 16 seasons before moving to other teams.
He won seven batting titles, including four straight from 1967 to 1970, a record later matched by Ichiro Suzuki.
He retired in 1981 after 2,752 games.
After his playing career, Harimoto helped start South Korea's professional baseball league in 1982 and became a respected baseball commentator.
Baseball organizations paid tribute to him following his death, expressing respect for his achievements and his remarkable life story.