Uchitomi reached his athletic peak in 1997 and set lifetime bests of 3:43.13 minutes for the 1500 m and 8:26.48 minutes for the steeplechase (the latter mark coming as part of another National Games win). A steeplechase gold medal at the 1997 East Asian Games in a games record marked his first international title in the sport. His run of success in the steeplechase continued into 1998. First he took the silver medal at the 1998 Asian Athletics Championships in Fukuoka, finishing behind Saudi Arabia's Saad Al-Asmari. At the FBK Games in Hengelo he ran the second fastest time of his career at 8:28.04 minutes. His form maintained until December, he took the highest accolade of his career at the 1998 Asian Games with a gold medal-winning performance.