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Hayato Inamura leaves Albirex Niigata second bottom of the J-League Celtic have signed Hayato Inamura on a four-year contract after the Japanese centre-half left Albirex Niigata in his homeland. The 23-year-old has spent less than a year with the J-League club after joining from Tokyo University. Inamura has made 36 appearances for the Niigata club, including 17 this season - all but two of them starts. "He's a young player full of promise and potential, " said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. "I know that he's delighted to be taking this next step in his career by joining us, and we look forward to welcoming him into the squad. " Inamura will join compatriots Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate at Celtic Park, while Kyogo Furuhashi, Yuki Kobayashi, and Tomoki Iwata have also been at the Scottish champions in recent years. All were signed by former boss Ange Postecoglou, who spent three-and-a-half years in charge of Yokohama F. Marinos before his switch to Glasgow in June 2021. Inamura has chosen to wear the number 25 donned by childhood idol Shunsuke Nakamura, who starred for Celtic between 2005 and 2009. "Many Japanese players have had success at this club, " Inamura told Celtic TV. "Across the world, this is a massive club and is really well known. I am truly excited to be joining Celtic. It's a huge opportunity for me. "So far, the current Japanese players have been performing at a high level. I think that is why there are expectations on Japanese players. I really want to live up to those expectations and do my best. "Regarding Nakamura, I used to imitate his kicking style when I was a kid. He was one of my favourite players. " Albirex sit second bottom of the J-League after 22 games following their 4-0 weekend defeat by eighth-placed Machida Zelvia. Afterwards, Inamura announced it was his final game, telling the club website: "I am sorry to have made this decision when the team is in a difficult situation. "I know not everyone will be happy to see me off, but I will fight with all my might so one day everyone will think this decision was the right one and feel proud. " Who has your Premiership club brought in & let go? - summer 2025 Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Celtic news notifications in the BBC Sport app Euro 2025: Germany captain Gwinn forced off with injury against Poland Wimbledon 2025 - follow Sabalenka v Raducanu live updates Smith epic saves England but India still in control Robin Williams' life and career through ten crucial photographs Pink Floyd's David Gilmour shares his Desert Island Discs A purr-fect short history of cats on film The American War of Independence revisited, 250 years on 'Aberdeen savour the most perfect game ever played' How Mc Tominay became a Napoli icon after Man Utd exit Scotland men's internationals to be shown live on BBC Commonwealth Games: Why is it so special to be part of Team Scotland? From titles to tinpottery - rank Scotland's top 10 clubs Diogo Jota: A tribute. Video Diogo Jota: A tribute 'A symbol of hope & inspiration - Jota was a Portuguese hero' 'Like migrating bison' - Lions' Schoeman on unique prop mentality The 12 content creators competing to be 'Last Pundit Standing' Video The 12 content creators competing to be 'Last Pundit Standing' Why have record number of seeded players lost at Wimbledon? Jota's final goal for Liverpool wins Merseyside derby. Video Jota's final goal for Liverpool wins Merseyside derby 'That was the best Raducanu has played since 2021 US Open win' Video'That was the best Raducanu has played since 2021 US Open win' How is Arsenal's attacking refresh shaping up? 'It's movie stuff' - Dutch-born Holland to make All Blacks debut Kookaburra conundrum - can county cricket have too many runs? Is it conceivable that Mercedes could drop Russell for Verstappen? Meet the only English manager at the Euros 'I can't hear it' - Wimbledon's first day of electronic calling Have we watched Messi's final game on global stage? Verstappen, Russell and Mercedes - what factors are at play? Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.