Taiga Hata

Taiga Hata is a Japanese defender born in Tokyo on 20 January 2002. He began playing with Matsubayashi Shonen SC before developing at AZ'86 Tokyo Ome and Ichiritsu Funabashi High School. Hata represented Japan at under-17 level, making 13 appearances during the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup cycle. He entered senior football with Shonan Bellmare in 2020 and spent five seasons with the J1 League club. Across that period, Hata made 128 appearances and scored four goals, including a four-goal, four-assist 2024 campaign across 30 matches. In July 2025, he moved to Belgian football with St. Truiden, where he has been used as a left-back or left wing-back. Hata combines flank coverage and attacking overlaps with recovery work, while his ability to operate on either side adds positional versatility.