The 26-year-old Ito played 177 times for the J1 side and was also the captain of the team, playing his part in Urawa lifting the 2022 AFC Champions League™.
“Leaving as captain of the club of my heart was the hardest decision I have ever made, but it was really a dream to play football in Europe,” said Ito in a club statement.
“I really want to go to the 2026 World Cup with Japan and for that, this step is the best choice I could make. My special thanks go to Urawa for fulfilling my wish and now I look forward to this new adventure in Ghent.”
Ito joins compatriots Daniel Schmidt, Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Daisuke Yokota at Gent.
Meanwhile, there were loan moves across Europe for Asian players with Koki Saito joining QPR in England from Lommel SK in Belgium while Kwon Hyeok-kyu stayed in the Scottish Premiership by joining Hibernian from Celtic.
J1 League title-chasing Machida Zelvia have signed Yuta Nakayama from English club Huddersfield with the club hoping the 27-year-old centre-back’s experience could help them pull off an incredible end to their first season in Japan’s top flight.
Over in the Saudi Pro League, forward Saleh Al Amri joined Al Raed on loan from Al Ittihad, midfielder Kevin N’Doram made the switch from Metz in France to Al Kholood while Colombian Sebastian Pedroza inked a deal with Al Okhdood.
One move away from Saudi Arabia saw Brazilian centre-back Iago Santos leaving Al Shabab to join UAE Pro League side Shabab Al Ahli, who will be challenging for the AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25 title.
