He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and in NPB for the Saitama Seibu Lions.

[1] In 2015, Akiyama set the NPB record for hits in a single season with 216,[2] surpassing the 214 collected by Matt Murton of the Hanshin Tigers in 2010.

On October 29, 2019, Akiyama held a press conference to announce that he had filed for free agency for the rights to play overseas in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Following the season on October 31, Akiyama underwent surgery to remove part of the lateral meniscus in his right knee.

[14] But on October 31, he broke his right toe due to a hit by pitch (HBP) in a practice game with Canada,[15] and he withdrew from the 2019 WBSC Premier12.