He returned at the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, but again failed to reach the podium with another fourth place finish, this time losing out to Falk Balzer.
Miyagi, Gunma, a village in Japan, merged into Maebashi in 2004
Sanyo Foods had previously kept their headquarters and R&D all in their original town of Maebashi city, Gunma prefecture, but their headquarters have legally moved to Minato-ku, Tokyo.