is a Japanese badminton player who competes in men's doubles. A former world number one in men's doubles, he is a member of the Japanese national team and plays for the Tonami Transportation team. Partnering with Yugo Kobayashi, Hoki has achieved multiple historic milestones for Japanese badminton. They became the first Japanese men's doubles pair to win the World Championships, securing gold in 2021 after a silver-medal finish in 2019. The duo was also the first men's doubles pair from Japan to win the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals (2021) and to attain the world number-one ranking (20 September 2022). Together, they have won multiple BWF World Tour titles and competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In team events, Hoki has helped Japan win silver and bronze medals at the Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup, and Asian Games. He was also a member of the squads that won gold at the inaugural Asia Mixed Team Championships in 2017, and Japan's first men's team title at the Asia Team Championships in 2026.
Career 2011–2016: Early international career Hoki made his international debut at the 2011 Osaka International, reaching the second round in men's doubles with Keiichiro Matsui. At the Asian Junior Championships in Kota Kinabalu, he contributed to Japan's bronze medal in the mixed team event while competing in both boys' doubles with Yugo Kobayashi and mixed doubles with Wakana Nagahara. Later that year, Hoki made his senior Super Series debut at the 2013 Japan Open, reaching the second round in men's doubles with Kobayashi. He concluded his junior career at the 2013 World Junior Championships, helping Japan secure fourth place in the mixed team event and reaching the third round of the mixed doubles with Rena Miyaura.
Continuing his men's doubles partnership with Kobayashi, Hoki won his first senior international title at the USA International, defeating Adrian Liu and Derrick Ng in the final. The pair advanced to the semifinals of both the U.S. Open and the Chinese Taipei Masters in 2015.
In 2016, Hoki represented Japan at the Thomas Cup, where the team advanced to the quarterfinals. He and Kobayashi subsequently won the Spanish International title in June, defeating Mathias Christiansen and David Daugaard in the final. The following month, they finished as runners-up at the U.S. Open after losing to Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen in a three-game final. Later in the season, they reached the quarterfinals of the Korea Open in September. The following month, at the China Open, they defeated the third seeds Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen in the first round to reach the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by the Indonesian pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon.
2017 In early 2017, Hoki represented Japan at the inaugural Asia Mixed Team Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, helping the team win the gold medal. He also competed at the Sudirman Cup in Gold Coast that year, contributing to Japan's bronze medal finish. Hoki and Kobayashi reached the men's doubles quarterfinals of the Asian Championships in April and the semifinals of the Korea Open in September. In mixed doubles, Hoki partnered with Sayaka Hirota to advance to the final of the Japan Open in September, where they finished as runners-up to the Chinese pair Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping. The pair later reached the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open. Hoki and Kobayashi concluded their season at the Super Series Finals in December, where they were eliminated during the round-robin stage.
2018 In August 2018, Hoki competed at the Asian Games in Jakarta, where he reached the mixed doubles quarterfinals alongside Koharu Yonemoto. He also helped the Japanese men's team win a bronze medal, marking Japan's first medal in this event at the Asian Games in 48 years. Hoki and Kobayashi advanced to the final of the Super 500 Korea Open in September, finishing as runners-up to the fellow Japanese pair Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe in a three-game match. The duo also progressed to the quarterfinals at both the Japan Open in September and the Denmark Open in October. In the second half of the year, Hoki formed a new mixed doubles partnership with Wakana Nagahara. Together, they advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open in October and the Hong Kong Open in November.
2019 In March, Hoki represented Japan at the Asia Mixed Team Championships in Hong Kong, where the team won a silver medal. In May, he contributed to the Japanese team's silver medal finish at the Sudirman Cup in Nanning. On the World Tour, Hoki and Kobayashi reached the semifinals of the Malaysia Open in April and the Indonesia Open in July. In August, at the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, the duo advanced to the men's doubles final after defeating the defending champions, the Chinese pair Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen, in the semifinals. They won the silver medal after a three-game match against the Indonesian pair Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. Meanwhile, Hoki and Nagahara reached a career-high mixed doubles world ranking of 19 in July and advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open in October.
2020 In January, Hoki and Nagahara advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals at the Malaysia Masters, following a second-round victory over the fourth-seeded Thai pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai. Later that month, Hoki and Kobayashi reached the men's doubles quarterfinals at the Thailand Masters. In February, Hoki competed at the Asia Team Championships in Manila, helping the Japanese men's team secure a bronze medal. Following a second-round exit at the All England Open in March, the remainder of the 2020 tournament calendar was largely suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021 Following his first-round exit from the All England Open in March, Hoki represented Japan at major international team events in September and October. He helped the team earn a silver medal at the Sudirman Cup in Vantaa and a bronze medal at the Thomas Cup in Aarhus. In October, Hoki and Kobayashi won their first BWF World Tour title at the Super 1000 Denmark Open, defeating the Danish pair Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the final. During the Indonesian leg of the World Tour in November, they claimed the Super 750 Indonesia Masters title by overcoming the Indonesian pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. The following week, they advanced to the final of the Super 1000 Indonesia Open but finished as runners-up to the same Indonesian pair. The pair won two historic titles in December. They won the season-ending World Tour Finals by again defeating Gideon and Sukamuljo in the final, becoming the first Japanese men's doubles pair to win the event. Shortly thereafter, Hoki and Kobayashi claimed the gold medal at the World Championships in Huelva, Spain, by defeating the Chinese pair, He Jiting and Tan Qiang. With this victory, they became the first Japanese men's doubles pair to win a world championship.
2022 In the first half of 2022, Hoki and Kobayashi reached the quarterfinals of the German Open, the All England Open, and the Asian Championships. In May, Hoki represented Japan at the Thomas Cup, where the team earned a bronze medal. Later that month, Hoki and Kobayashi won their first title of the season at the Super 500 Thailand Open after their opponents, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, retired during the first game of the final. Following a quarterfinal appearance at the Indonesia Open in mid-June, the duo won the Super 750 Malaysia Open, again defeating Alfian and Ardianto in the final. After reaching the quarterfinals at the Malaysia Masters and the World Championships, Hoki and Kobayashi attained the world number-one ranking in men's doubles on 20 September 2022, becoming the first Japanese men's doubles pair to reach that position. They concluded the year by reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open and the Hylo Open, and were eliminated in the round-robin stage of the season-ending World Tour Finals.
2023 Hoki and Kobayashi claimed the Singapore Open title by defeating Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the final. They also finished as runners-up at both the Japan Open and the Australian Open and earned a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. The pair advanced to the semifinals of the China Open, the Malaysia Masters, and the Indonesia Masters. In team events, Hoki contributed to Japan's bronze medal finishes at both Sudirman Cup and the Asian Games. Their performance over the season qualified them for the World Tour Finals in December, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
2024 During the first half of the 2024 season, Hoki and Kobayashi reached the semifinals of four Super 750 and Super 1000 events: the Malaysia Open, India Open, French Open, and All England Open. They also advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Championships in April and represented Japan at the Thomas Cup, where the Japanese team reached the quarterfinals. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the pair were eliminated in the round-robin stage of the men's doubles event. In the latter half of the year, they reached the quarterfinals of both the Denmark Open and the China Masters. In November, they advanced to their first final of the year at the Japan Masters, finishing as runners-up to the Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
2025 Hoki and Kobayashi began their 2025 season in April, following Kobayashi's recovery from a knee injury. They returned to competition at the Asian Championships, where they were eliminated in the first round. In May, Hoki represented Japan at the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, helping the team secure a bronze medal. Later that month, Hoki and Kobayashi reached the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters. They subsequently advanced to the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open in June and the World Championships in August, before reaching the semifinals of the Korea Open in September. In October, they secured their first title of the year at the Super 750 Denmark Open. During the tournament, they defeated the Indian duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the semifinals—their first victory over the pair in six years. They claimed the title by overcoming the Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.
2026 In January, Hoki and Kobayashi reached the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open and the India Open. The following month, Hoki was part of the Japanese squad that won Japan's first men's team title at the Asia Team Championships in Qingdao. Later in the season, Hoki and Kobayashi advanced to the second round of both the All England Open in March and the Asian Championships in April.
Personal life Hoki married former NTT East badminton player Rira Kawashima in February 2020. They have three children: a son named Minato (born 8 April 2021), a daughter named Toa (born 9 June 2023), and a third child named Aoto (born 15 April 2026).
Records First Japanese men's doubles pair to win gold at the BWF World Championships (2021, partnered with Yugo Kobayashi). First Japanese men's doubles pair to win the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals (2021, partnered with Yugo Kobayashi). First Japanese men's doubles pair to attain the World No. 1 ranking (20 September 2022, partnered with Yugo Kobayashi).
Achievements World Championships Men's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2019 St. Jakobshalle,Basel, Switzerland Yugo Kobayashi Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan 23–25, 21–9, 15–21 Silver 2021 Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín,Huelva, Spain Yugo Kobayashi He Jiting Tan Qiang 21–12, 21–18 Gold
Asian Championships Men's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref 2023 Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall,Dubai, United Arab Emirates Yugo Kobayashi Ong Yew Sin Teo Ee Yi 16–21, 24–26 Bronze
BWF World Tour (7 titles, 5 runners-up)