2,000 hits and the Meikyukai
The Meikyukai was founded in 1978, and its batting standard is 2,000 career hits in NPB official games. Membership stood at roughly 70 players as of the 2020s.
Only NPB career totals count - MLB hits are not added. Ichiro, despite his combined NPB/MLB totals, does not qualify because his NPB-only count falls short: the best-known illustration of the rule.
The scale of 2,000 - the career record is Harimoto's 3,085
Reaching 2,000 hits works out to about 150 hits a year for over 13 seasons. Injuries, lost playing time and moves to MLB all interrupt careers - longevity is the real wall.
The NPB career hits record is Isao Harimoto's 3,085, the only 3,000-hit career in NPB history.
How to read this tracker
The reference table below lists active batters approaching the 2,000-hit milestone. Figures are as of the data date; where they differ from the latest official records, the official records take precedence.
Reference data
The table below is reference data compiled by this site, not an official announcement.
Data as of
Legend: Reached Within 5% of the target More than 5% of the target to go Milestone line
- 大島 洋平 (Chunichi) (age 40) 2079 / 2000 Reached
- 浅村 栄斗 (Rakuten) (age 35) 2105 / 2000 Reached
- 栗山 巧 (Seibu) (age 43) 2152 / 2000 Reached
- 坂本 勇人 (Yomiuri) (age 37) 2473 / 2000 Reached
- 丸 佳浩 (Yomiuri) (age 37) 1952 / 2000 48 to go
- 菊池 涼介 (Hiroshima) (age 36) 1891 / 2000 109 to go
- 中村 剛也 (Seibu) (age 43) 1843 / 2000 157 to go
- 秋山 翔吾 (Hiroshima) (age 38) 1810 / 2000 190 to go
- 柳田 悠岐 (SoftBank) (age 37) 1742 / 2000 258 to go
- 山田 哲人 (Yakult) (age 34) 1651 / 2000 349 to go
- 鈴木 大地 (Rakuten) (age 37) 1616 / 2000 384 to go
- 中村 晃 (SoftBank) (age 36) 1520 / 2000 480 to go
2,000-Hit Players: Full List in Order of Achievement
These are finalized official records. Career totals cover NPB only and do not include combined NPB/MLB figures.
All-time list
Scroll right for more
| Order | Player | Team | Year | Career total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 川上 哲治 | Yomiuri | 1956 | 2351 |
| 2 | 山内 一弘 | Hanshin | 1967 | 2271 |
| 3 | 榎本 喜八 | Tokyo Orions | 1968 | 2314 |
| 4 | 野村 克也 | Nankai | 1970 | 2901 |
| 5 | 長嶋 茂雄 | Yomiuri | 1971 | 2471 |
| 6 | 広瀬 叔功 | Nankai | 1972 | 2157 |
| 7 | 張本 勲 | Toei | 1972 | 3085 |
| 8 | 王 貞治 | Yomiuri | 1974 | 2786 |
| 9 | 江藤 慎一 | Taiheiyo | 1975 | 2057 |
| 10 | 土井 正博 | Crown Lighter | 1977 | 2452 |
| 11 | 高木 守道 | Chunichi | 1978 | 2274 |
| 12 | 松原 誠 | Taiyo | 1980 | 2095 |
| 13 | 柴田 勲 | Yomiuri | 1980 | 2018 |
| 14 | 大杉 勝男 | Yakult | 1981 | 2228 |
| 15 | 藤田 平 | Hanshin | 1983 | 2064 |
| 16 | 衣笠 祥雄 | Hiroshima | 1983 | 2543 |
| 17 | 福本 豊 | Hankyu | 1983 | 2543 |
| 18 | 山崎 裕之 | Seibu | 1983 | 2081 |
| 19 | 山本 浩二 | Hiroshima | 1984 | 2339 |
| 20 | 有藤 道世 | Lotte | 1985 | 2057 |
| 21 | 若松 勉 | Yakult | 1985 | 2173 |
| 22 | 谷沢 健一 | Chunichi | 1985 | 2062 |
| 23 | 加藤 英司 | Nankai | 1987 | 2055 |
| 24 | 門田 博光 | Nankai | 1987 | 2566 |
| 25 | 大島 康徳 | Nippon-Ham | 1990 | 2204 |
| 26 | 新井 宏昌 | Kintetsu | 1992 | 2038 |
| 27 | 落合 博満 | Yomiuri | 1995 | 2371 |
| 28 | 秋山 幸二 | Daiei | 2000 | 2157 |
| 29 | 駒田 徳広 | Yokohama | 2000 | 2006 |
| 30 | 立浪 和義 | Chunichi | 2003 | 2480 |
| 31 | 清原 和博 | Yomiuri | 2004 | 2122 |
| 32 | 古田 敦也 | Yakult | 2005 | 2097 |
| 33 | 野村 謙二郎 | Hiroshima | 2005 | 2020 |
| 34 | 石井 琢朗 | Yokohama | 2006 | 2432 |
| 35 | 田中 幸雄 | Nippon-Ham | 2007 | 2012 |
| 36 | 前田 智徳 | Hiroshima | 2007 | 2119 |
| 37 | 金本 知憲 | Hanshin | 2008 | 2539 |
| 38 | 小笠原 道大 | Yomiuri | 2011 | 2120 |
| 39 | 稲葉 篤紀 | Nippon-Ham | 2012 | 2167 |
| 40 | 宮本 慎也 | Yakult | 2012 | 2133 |
| 41 | 小久保 裕紀 | SoftBank | 2012 | 2041 |
| 42 | ラミレス | DeNA | 2013 | 2017 |
| 43 | 中村 紀洋 | DeNA | 2013 | 2101 |
| 44 | 谷繁 元信 | Chunichi | 2013 | 2108 |
| 45 | 和田 一浩 | Chunichi | 2015 | 2050 |
| 46 | 松井 稼頭央 | Rakuten | 2015 | 2090 |
| 47 | 新井 貴浩 | Hiroshima | 2016 | 2203 |
| 48 | 荒木 雅博 | Chunichi | 2017 | 2045 |
| 49 | 阿部 慎之助 | Yomiuri | 2017 | 2132 |
| 50 | 鳥谷 敬 | Hanshin | 2017 | 2099 |
| 51 | 内川 聖一 | SoftBank | 2018 | 2186 |
| 52 | 福浦 和也 | Lotte | 2018 | 2000 |
| 53 | 坂本 勇人 | Yomiuri | 2020 | 2473* |
| 54 | 栗山 巧 | Seibu | 2021 | 2152* |
| 55 | 大島 洋平 | Chunichi | 2023 | 2079* |
| 56 | 浅村 栄斗 | Rakuten | 2025 | 2105* |
* Active (career totals as of Sep 19, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is 2,000 hits the standard for?
It is the Meikyukai batting membership standard, counting NPB official-game career totals only (MLB hits excluded).
Who holds the NPB career hits record?
Isao Harimoto, with 3,085 - the only NPB career above 3,000 hits.
Do MLB hits count toward the Meikyukai standard?
No. Only NPB official-game career totals are counted.
Which active player is closest to 2,000 hits?
The active player closest to 2,000 hits is 丸 佳浩 (Yomiuri), 48 hits to go (as of Sep 19, 2026).