Hosei Kijima’s Family: Girlfriend, Children, Parents and Siblings

Last Updated on October 1, 2026 by Gabriel

Hosei Kijima is a Japanese professional footballer whose unconventional journey took him from Yokohama to the United States while he was still a child. Born on July 1, 2002, Kijima left Japan at the age of 12 to attend IMG Academy in Florida before playing college soccer at Wake Forest University and eventually reaching Major League Soccer.

His parents are Mumei and Yasuko Kijima, while his publicly documented sibling is his older sister, Reika Kijima. His family played an important role in allowing him to pursue football thousands of miles away from home at such a young age. Kijima, however, remains private about his romantic life. As of now, there is no reliable public confirmation that he has a girlfriend, wife or children.

Who Is Hosei Kijima’s Girlfriend?

As of now, Hosei Kijima has not publicly confirmed having a girlfriend or wife through a reliable sports or first-party source.

Most interviews with the D.C. United midfielder have focused on his unusual football journey, his experience moving from Japan to the United States as a child, his years at IMG Academy and Wake Forest, and his professional career in Major League Soccer.

Kijima appears to keep his romantic life separate from his public football profile. Therefore, any claims identifying a particular person as his partner should be treated cautiously unless Kijima confirms the relationship himself.

Is Hosei Kijima Married?

There is no reliable public confirmation that Hosei Kijima is married.

Official biographies from Wake Forest, D.C. United and other established football sources do not identify a spouse or document a marriage.

Does Hosei Kijima Have Children?

As of now, there is no reliable public information confirming that Hosei Kijima has children.

Kijima has discussed his own family and the difficulties of leaving them behind when he moved to the United States, but established sources have not reported that he is a father.

Who Are Hosei Kijima’s Parents?

Hosei Kijima’s parents are Mumei Kijima and Yasuko Kijima. Wake Forest University officially listed both names in Kijima’s player biography during his collegiate career.

The same names also appear in the University of Southern California athletics biography of Hosei’s older sister Reika, independently confirming the immediate family connection.

Although their occupations and personal backgrounds have not been widely publicized, Kijima’s parents played a significant role in one of the most important decisions of his life: allowing him to leave Japan for IMG Academy in Florida when he was only 12.

Hosei Kijima’s Mother

Kijima has specifically credited his mother with helping him find the opportunity that eventually took him to IMG Academy.

In an interview with Wake Forest, Kijima recalled returning from an earlier football experience and said his mother continued searching for additional camps where he could develop. She eventually discovered IMG Academy in Florida.

Kijima initially attended an IMG camp, and the possibility of remaining in the United States eventually became a serious family decision.

He has explained that the family considered the idea carefully because sending a 12-year-old child from Japan to a boarding school in the United States represented a major step. Ultimately, they decided he should take the opportunity.

Wake Forest’s official biography names his parents as Mumei and Yasuko Kijima, although the biography itself does not separately label which of the two names belongs to his mother.

Hosei Kijima’s Father

Hosei Kijima’s father has maintained a particularly private public profile.

Official college records establish Mumei and Yasuko Kijima as Hosei’s parents, but major football interviews provide few details about his father’s occupation or background.

Kijima has nevertheless described the decision to attend IMG Academy as one made with his parents, showing that both were involved in determining whether he should pursue his football development overseas.

Because his father has stayed outside the public spotlight, further details about his personal or professional life should not be assumed without stronger public evidence.

Who Are Hosei Kijima’s Siblings?

Hosei Kijima has an older sister named Reika Kijima.

Reika’s official University of Southern California athletics biography identifies Hosei as her sibling and lists the same parents, Mumei and Yasuko Kijima.

She was born on February 2, 1994, in Yokohama, making her more than eight years older than Hosei.

Hosei Kijima’s Sister: Reika Kijima

Reika Kijima was also a talented athlete, although her sport was distance running rather than football.

She attended Ojai Valley School in California before competing collegiately at Azusa Pacific University. She later transferred to the University of Southern California and joined USC’s cross-country and track and field programs.

At Azusa Pacific, Reika achieved success in both cross-country and track. She earned All-PacWest recognition and produced strong performances in middle-distance events including the 800 meters and 1,500 meters.

Her USC biography also noted her academic interests. Reika studied International Relations and expressed an interest in helping improve relations between Japan and the United States.

That Japanese-American connection is especially notable within the Kijima family because Hosei also spent much of his formative life moving between the two countries.

A Family With Experience Living Between Japan and the United States

Both Hosei and Reika pursued significant parts of their education and athletic careers in the United States after growing up in Yokohama.

Reika attended high school and university in California, while Hosei relocated to Florida as a 12-year-old to pursue football at IMG Academy.

For Hosei, leaving home so young was difficult. He has openly discussed experiencing homesickness and isolation while living thousands of miles away from his family.

Nevertheless, the experience also became fundamental to his personal development. Kijima has said that living independently helped him become more resilient and strengthened his determination to reach professional football.

How Hosei Kijima Ended Up at IMG Academy

Kijima’s move to the United States was inspired partly by Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori, who had also trained at IMG Academy.

After struggling to see a clear pathway within elite Japanese youth football, Kijima and his family began exploring alternatives.

His mother continued searching for football camps and found IMG Academy. Kijima attended a camp there in 2014 and eventually enrolled full-time.

The decision meant leaving his parents and home in Yokohama at only 12 years old. Kijima later admitted that adapting to life in the United States was difficult, particularly because he was one of relatively few Japanese students in his environment.

Despite those challenges, he remained at IMG throughout his middle-school and high-school years and developed enough to earn an opportunity at Wake Forest University.

From Wake Forest to Major League Soccer

Kijima enrolled early at Wake Forest in January 2020 and spent four seasons with one of the leading programs in American college soccer.

His development eventually saw him become a team captain and a versatile midfielder capable of playing several roles.

St. Louis CITY SC selected Kijima with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. He signed his first professional contract in February 2024 and immediately made an impact by scoring the winning goal on his professional debut in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Following his rookie season, San Diego FC selected Kijima in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft before immediately trading him to D.C. United.

D.C. United later exercised his contract option for the 2026 season, allowing Kijima to continue his Major League Soccer career in Washington.

Family Sacrifice and Kijima’s Career

Kijima’s career is closely tied to the decision his family made when he was only 12.

Rather than following a conventional Japanese academy pathway, he moved overseas alone and spent much of his adolescence living away from his parents.

Kijima has acknowledged that this separation produced homesickness and difficult moments, but he also credits those experiences with developing the independence and resilience that later helped him through college and professional football.

His journey eventually became the inspiration behind his own Kijima Method project, through which he discusses the challenges young players face while pursuing ambitious sporting goals.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hosei Kijima’s Family

Who is Hosei Kijima’s girlfriend?

As of now, Hosei Kijima has not publicly confirmed a girlfriend through a reliable major source.

Is Hosei Kijima married?

There is no reliable public confirmation that Hosei Kijima is married.

Does Hosei Kijima have children?

As of now, there is no reliable public information confirming that Hosei Kijima has children.

Who are Hosei Kijima’s parents?

Hosei Kijima’s parents are Mumei and Yasuko Kijima. Wake Forest University officially listed them in his collegiate player biography.

Who is Hosei Kijima’s mother?

Kijima has said that his mother played an important role in finding IMG Academy while searching for football-development opportunities for him. Wake Forest lists his parents as Mumei and Yasuko Kijima, although the official biography does not separately identify which named parent is his mother.

Who is Hosei Kijima’s father?

Kijima’s father has maintained a private profile. His official Wake Forest biography lists his parents as Mumei and Yasuko Kijima, but reliable sources provide little information about his father’s personal or professional background.

Does Hosei Kijima have a sister?

Yes. Hosei Kijima has an older sister named Reika Kijima.

Who is Reika Kijima?

Reika Kijima is Hosei’s older sister. Born in Yokohama in 1994, she competed in collegiate cross-country and track and field at Azusa Pacific University and the University of Southern California.

How many siblings does Hosei Kijima have?

Reika is the sibling publicly documented in official university records. Her USC biography lists Hosei as her sibling.

Where is Hosei Kijima’s family from?

The Kijima family is associated with Yokohama, Japan, where both Hosei and Reika were born.