Shin Yamada Signs for Celtic in Four-Year Deal from Kawasaki Frontale

Celtic have secured the signing of Japanese international forward Shin Yamada from Kawasaki Frontale on a four-year contract.

Photo by Hiroki Watanabe/Getty Images)

The 25-year-old arrives in Glasgow after a standout spell in the J-League, where he's made 121 senior appearances and scored 32 goals. A dynamic, high-intensity forward with strong link-up play, Yamada becomes the latest in a growing line of Japanese players to make the switch to Parkhead.

Speaking to Celtic's in-house media, manager Brendan Rodgers welcomed the move, saying: "He's a strong player who can both score and create. His energy and physicality give us something different, and I know he's really motivated to make his mark in European football."

Yamada played his final game for Kawasaki in midweek, bidding farewell to fans after their Emperor's Cup defeat to SC Sagamihara. This season, he has two goals in 21 league appearances, with the club sitting sixth in the J-League. Last season, however, he hit 19 goals in 38 games — a return that turned heads across Europe.

Capped for the first time by Japan earlier this year, Yamada said Celtic's approach first came in late 2024 and that the opportunity to join a club with the profile and ambition of the Scottish champions was too good to turn down.

"Celtic is one of the biggest names in world football," Yamada told CelticTV. "Of course, I've watched Daizen, Reo, and Kyogo do amazing things here, and I want to follow in their footsteps — but I also want to bring my own style and face my own challenges."

Yamada is Celtic's sixth summer signing, following the arrivals of Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmand, Hayato Inamura, Ross Doohan, and the returning Kieran Tierney.