Genki Haraguchi was born on 9 May 1991 in Kumagaya, Saitama. He came through Urawa Red Diamonds' youth setup and made his J1 League debut for Urawa in May 2008 at the age of 17. Over six full seasons at Urawa he established himself as a hard-running, goal-scoring left-sided attacker — one of the most kinetic creative players in Japanese football.
In summer 2014 Haraguchi moved to Germany with Hertha BSC. After a loan to Fortuna Düsseldorf in early 2018, where he impressed enough to earn a permanent move to Hannover 96 that summer (€4 million), and then to Union Berlin on a free in 2021, he became a model of the diligent, defensively committed attacking midfielder that Bundesliga sides love. He helped Hannover win the 2. Bundesliga title in 2017–18 and was a regular in Union Berlin's rise into the Bundesliga's upper half. A January 2023 move to VfB Stuttgart for €1 million followed before he returned to Urawa in 2024 — a homecoming that delighted Urawa supporters.
In September 2025 Haraguchi made another European return, joining Beerschot VA in Belgium. His goal contributions across both the Challenger Pro League and Jupiler Pro League (after Beerschot's promotion) underline that, well into his thirties, he still has the legs and the end product. He has earned over 60 caps for Japan, scoring at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and won the EAFF E-1 Football Championship in 2013 with the senior side.