Overuse of Murata's pitching arm led to extreme pain and injury,[1] and ultimately Murata was forced to undergo Tommy John elbow surgery, performed in 1982 by Dr. Frank Jobe in California.

Rebounding in 1985 with a 17–5 record, Murata won the Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award.

On 23 September 2022, Murata was arrested at Haneda airport for allegedly assaulting a customs agent.

[4] On 11 November 2022, Murata's house in Seijo, Setagaya, Tokyo, caught on fire during the early morning.

Subsequently, he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning at age 72.