Takao was a winner at the All-Japan Corporate Ekiden Championships in 1995 with Asahi Kasei – a title he would go on to win three times more with the team during his career. He began to make an impact in the senior ranks that year, starting with a fourth-place finish at the Japan Championships in Athletics over 10,000 m, dipping under the 28-minute barrier for the first time. This brought him selection for the event at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics alongside Toshiyuki Hayata and Yasuyuki Watanabe. Making his senior international debut, he failed to make it beyond the heats stage.