 The next year he was loaned to J1 League defending champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima.He scored his first goal for the club in the Japanese Super Cup final, in a 3–1 win against Gamba Osaka.Utaka bagged his first goal in the J1 League on 12 March, scoring a 67th-minute penalty against Shonan Bellmare in a 2–2 draw at home.