Hayao Kawabe was born on 8 September 1995 in Hiroshima Prefecture and joined Sanfrecce Hiroshima's youth setup. He made his J1 debut as a teenager and won the J1 League title with Sanfrecce in 2013, alongside multiple Super Cup successes. After a 2015 loan to Júbilo Iwata he returned and grew into a complete box-to-box midfielder with goal-scoring instincts.
His European chapter began in summer 2021 when he joined Switzerland's Grasshopper Club Zürich on loan from Sanfrecce. In January 2022 he was bought outright by Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers for €600,000 — though immediately loaned back to Grasshoppers. After failing to break into the Wolves first team, he moved to Belgium's Standard Liège in summer 2023 for €1.5 million and produced an outstanding 2023–24 season: 36 Pro League appearances and 7 goals from midfield.
In August 2024 Kawabe returned home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. He has since been a transformative midfield presence, helping the club return to AFC Champions League Elite competition. The 2025 season brought 37 J1 League appearances with 3 goals and 2 assists, plus 9 ACL Elite matches and Super Cup glory. He also won the EAFF E-1 Football Championship with Japan in 2025.
A goal-scoring central midfielder who carries the ball, presses well and arrives in the box from deep, Kawabe is one of the most underrated J1 players of his generation and a continued candidate for Japan squads heading into the 2026 World Cup.