Takuya Kimura, a switch-hitting leftfielder and utility player, played for Japan in two games at the 2004 Olympics. Kimura had a long career in the Japan Central League, joining the Nippon Ham Fighters in 1992 when he was 20. After three seasons he moved to the Hiroshima Carp in 1995 and played with them through 2005. Kimura then was traded to the Yomiuri Giants, playing with them for four years. After 19 seasons in the Japan professional league he retired as a player and became a baserunning and infield coach for Yomiuri. In his career, he played in 1,523 games, had 1,049 hits, and a career batting average of .262. In April 2010, prior to a game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Kimura was hitting grounders for infield practice when he collapsed into a coma, and died a few hours later from a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Japan