Profile completeness69%

UNIO

East Asia Pathways

Japan €20mm

60Players

€20mmPortfolio

About

UNIO is a multidisciplinary football agency founded in 2023 and built around a team of four FIFA-licensed agents operating between Japan and South Korea. The agency focuses on established J League and K League professionals as well as emerging East Asian talent, combining career planning, contract negotiation, and off-pitch support. Their model is explicitly cross-border – helping Korean and Japanese players access opportunities in Europe while remaining deeply embedded in local club ecosystems. UNIO emphasises holistic support, with services spanning mental wellbeing, post-career planning and branding, not just transfers.

Key People

CEO/Founder: Miguel Donghyun Kim

Founder and overall CEO of UNIO, FIFA-licensed agent (FIFA ID 202304-1237) leading the Korea–Japan strategy and European partnerships. Email: a_kaminishizono@unio.im - Co-Founder: Akira Kaminishizono – CEO of UNIO Japan, Email: a_kaminishizono@unio.im - Managing Director / Head of Football: Kyle Donghun Kang – Director of Football and licensed agent overseeing scouting, recruitment and football operations across K League and J League. Email: kyle.kdh@unio.im - Executive Director: Taehong Kim Email: taehong.kim@unio.im - Licensed agents: Miguel Donghyun Kim – FIFA ID 202304-1237 - Akira Kaminishizono – FIFA ID 202301-101 - Kyle Donghun Kang – Director of Football, FIFA-licensed agent (ID not publicly listed) - Taehong Kim – Executive Director and FIFA-licensed agent (ID not publicly listed)

Notable Deals

2025 – Shuto Machino – Holstein Kiel to Borussia Mönchengladbach – permanent transfer to the Bundesliga, fee reported around €8m, four-year deal to June 2029 - 2023 – Shuto Machino – Shonan Bellmare to Holstein Kiel – first move to Europe for the Japan international striker, permanent transfer with an undisclosed fee - 2025 – Gyu-sung Lee – Ulsan HD FC to Suwon Samsung Bluewings – season-long loan to Suwon from Ulsan HD, strengthening Suwon’s midfield - 2025 – Byung-kwan Jeon – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to Gimcheon Sangmu – military-service-linked loan in K League 1 lasting to October 2026 - 2024/25 – Kazuki Tanaka – Kyoto Sanga to JEF United Chiba – loan made permanent in early 2024, securing a key right-sided midfielder on a contract to 2026 - 2023–2025 – Tomoki Tagawa – Yokohama F. Marinos to Kataller Toyama – goalkeeper loan into J2 where he became starting keeper and increased his market value - 2022 – Rikiya Motegi – Ehime FC to RB Omiya Ardija – permanent move in J2, with a long-term deal to 2026 Fees shown are indicative estimates (not official).

Services

- Contract negotiation – first professional contracts, renewals and performance-linked deals for J League and K League players - Domestic and international transfers/loans – moves within Japan and South Korea, military-service loans, and cross-border transfers such as Machino’s Bundesliga move - Career planning & mentoring – long-term pathway planning from high-school or university football into professional careers and through late-career decisions - Image rights, sponsorship & PR – support for commercial deals and basic brand building for top-profile and national-team players - Legal & regulatory support – in-house and partner legal expertise around FIFA agent rules, league regulations and contract drafting - Relocation & cultural support – practical help for moves between Korea and Japan and for players moving to Europe - Performance support & analytics – using match data, video and scouting reports to inform player development and negotiations - Post-career planning – preparing senior players for coaching roles, media or other careers, reflected in clients who move into staff positions