Early life and pre-debut Sana was born on December 29, 1996 in
Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan, as an
only child. Sana stated that she wanted to become a singer and dancer early on and was inspired by the K-pop group
Girls' Generation. During her middle school years, she was scouted by a
JYP Entertainment (JYPE) employee at a shopping mall and was invited to participate in the annual JYP Japan audition the following day. Sana passed the audition She trained for over three years before her eventual debut with
Twice. In 2014, Sana appeared in
Got7's music video for "
A" as a waitress.
2015–present: Sixteen, Twice, solo activities, and MiSaMo In 2015, Sana participated in the music survival show
Sixteen, a
reality television series to determine the members of Twice. Out of the sixteen contestants, Sana was selected as one of the nine members of the newly formed girl group. She officially debuted with Twice in October 2015 with the title song "
Like Ooh-Ahh" from their debut extended play
The Story Begins. In February 2021, Sana became the first Twice member to release a solo single after she covered "Sotsugyou", a 2020 single by Japanese band
Kobukuro. The cover, which includes an
a cappella version, was released as a digital single through Warner Music Japan. She released a version with Kobukuro themselves in March 2021. On February 9, 2023, JYPE announced that Sana, alongside bandmates
Momo and
Mina, would officially debut in Japan on July 26 as a sub-unit named
MiSaMo with the
extended play titled
Masterpiece. Prior to the trio's debut, on January 25, they released the track "Bouquet" as part of the soundtrack of
TV Asahi's drama series
Liaison: Kodomo no Kokoro Shinryōjo. In September 2023, Sana appeared as a guest on ''Dex's Fridge Interview'', a YouTube talk show hosted by
Dex. Sana's episode became the most viewed video on the channel, exceeding 10 million views. In December 2025, Sana appeared in
Daesung's music video for "Hando-Chogua". ==Image and influence==