Okajima attended Higashiyama High School and pitched in the 1994 Koshien National High School Tournament. \n', '

Okajima was drafted in the third round in 1993 by the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Okajima pitched mostly as a setup man, but sometimes played the role of a starter until 1999. When he played with the Giants in Japan, Okajima chose to go by the nickname "Okaji" instead of "Hideki" because Hideki Matsui had preceded him on the Giants.\n', "

Okajima became the team's closer in 2000–2001, before returning to his setup role in 2002.\n", '

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