Kyosuke Tagawa has left Hearts to join Kashima Antlers.
The forward makes a permanent move to the J-League side for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance and Scottish FA approval.
25-year-old Kyosuke arrived at Hearts last summer and would go on to make 20 appearances.
He scored three goals, including a memorable last-minute rasping volley against Rangers in the final game of last season, which earned the Jambos a 3-3 draw.
Speaking to the Official Hearts Website, Head Coach Steven Naismith said: “Kyosuke has been great to work with. He is a good person and a good professional, and he’s built up a relationship with his teammates, the staff and the fans.
“On the playing side, he hasn’t managed to get the amount of minutes on the pitch that he would’ve liked and you can probably put that down to the form of our other forwards over the past year.
“He wants to play regularly so when the opportunity arose for him to return to the J-League, it made sense for everyone to get it done.
“I thank Kyosuke for his efforts at Hearts and wish him all the best for the future.”
