Joel Fujita was born on 16 February 2002 in Tokyo to a Brazilian father and a Japanese mother — the "Chima" in his name reflects his Brazilian heritage. He came through Tokyo Verdy's youth ranks and went on loan to Tokushima Vortis in 2021 to gain senior minutes before joining Yokohama F. Marinos in 2022. With F. Marinos he won the J1 League title in 2022 and the Super Cup in 2023 — major honours by 21.
In summer 2023 Fujita moved to Belgium with Sint-Truiden, where he played two full Jupiler Pro League seasons as one of the most reliable young midfielders in the league — 31 league matches in each of 2023–24 and 2024–25 with a steady stream of assists from deep midfield. In July 2025 he stepped up to the Bundesliga with FC St. Pauli, joining a club that had just earned promotion. His debut season has been impressive: 30 Bundesliga appearances with a goal and 3 assists, plus DFB-Pokal contributions.
Fujita captained Japan U-23 at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Japan reached the quarter-finals, and won the AFC U23 Asian Cup in 2024 as captain — leadership credentials at the highest youth level. He made his senior Japan A-team debut in 2024 and continues to be in contention for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad as one of Japan's most tactically intelligent young central midfielders.
A two-way central midfielder with positional intelligence, ball security and vision for the killer pass, Fujita's versatility and leadership profile make him an ideal squad member for the senior team going forward.