Masahiro Kawai (川相 昌弘, Kawai Masahiro, born September 27, 1964 in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan) was an infielder for 23 years in Nippon Professional Baseball, primarily with the Yomiuri Giants. Known for his defense and bunting, he won several Gold Gloves, made two All-Star teams and set several sacrifice hit records. By 1999, though, he was on the bench usually, hitting .295/.371/.302 in 149 AB and 82 games, in a backup role again after a decade as the starter. Tomohiro Nioka was now the starting shortstop and would hold the role for years.