A year later, during the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship final against Sanyo Electric, in the loss time, he caught the ball at the last minute near the end of the touch line, which was the starting point.
In 1998, Suntory finished runner-up in the 50th Japan Company Rugby Football Championship final after the 28-27 defeat against Toyota Motors.
Between 10 and 30 March 1991, Sakata was part of a Japan schoolboys XV which was in a tour in Wales, participating in five matches.
However, he was first capped for the Japan national team in 1996, against Canada, at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, on 9 June.
In 2009, a year after his retirement, Sakata served as a commentator on NHK university rugby relay, where his calm and unbiased commentary style was popular.