What made Jang Hun a legendary figure in Japanese baseball?

He played 23 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball from 1959 to 1981 and finished with 3,085 career hits, which remains the league record. He also hit 504 home runs and drove in 1,676 runs.

How long did Jang Hun play in Nippon Professional Baseball?

He played for 23 seasons, beginning in 1959 and ending in 1981. During that span, he built the all-time hits record and became the only NPB player with more than 3,000 hits.

What honors and roles did Jang Hun have outside his playing career?

He served as a special adviser to the Korea Baseball Organization commissioner from the KBO’s inaugural year in 1982 to 2005. In 2007, he received South Korea’s Mugunghwa Medal, the highest in the Order of Civil Merit.

Korean Japanese baseball legend Jang Hun dies at 86

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Summary

Korean Japanese baseball legend Jang Hun died at 86 in a Tokyo hospital on Wednesday morning. The all-time hits leader in Japanese professional baseball played 23 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball from 1959 to 1981. He remained the only NPB player with more than 3,000 hits and later served as a special adviser to the KBO commissioner. He also received South Korea’s Mugunghwa Medal in 2007.

Key Facts

Jang Hun still holds the NPB record with 3,085 career hits and is the only player in league history with more than 3,000 hits.
He hit 504 home runs, drove in 1,676 runs, and had a.319 lifetime batting average.
Jang won seven Pacific League batting titles, one league MVP award, the 1959 Pacific League Rookie of the Year award, and 18 All-Star selections.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 10, 2026 3:04 pm KST

Korean Japanese baseball legend Jang Hun plays for Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional Baseball League in this 1978 file photo. Yonhap

Korean Japanese baseball legend Jang Hun, the all-time hits leader in Japanese professional baseball history, has died at 86.

The Golden Players Club, an exclusive body honoring elite Japanese baseball players, announced Jang passed away Wednesday morning at a hospital in Tokyo.

Born in Hiroshima to Korean parents in 1940, Jang played for 23 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 1959 to 1981. He still holds the league's record with 3,085 career hits and remains the only player in NPB history with over 3,000 hits.

Jang, whose Japanese name was Isao Harimoto, also launched 504 home runs and drove in 1,676 runs to rank seventh and fourth on the all-time list, respectively. His lifetime batting average of .319 put him in third place.

He won seven Pacific League batting titles, one league MVP award and the 1959 Pacific League Rookie of the Year award. He earned 18 All-Star selections.

Jang held Korean citizenship throughout his career but said in a media interview in December 2024 that he had received Japanese citizenship several years ago.

The former outfielder served as a special adviser to the commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) from its inaugural year in 1982 to 2005. In 2007, he received the Mugunghwa Medal, the highest in the Order of Civil Merit, from the Korean government.

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