2020–2023: Debut in NCT and departure After being spotted on social media by a
SM Entertainment talent scout in 2019, Shotaro moved to South Korea in 2020 and began training with the company. Shotaro joined South Korean boy band NCT in 2020, after being revealed as a surprise new member, along with
Sungchan, becoming the 22nd and 23rd members of the band. The news was released in conjunction with announcement the band's second album,
NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1, on September 20, with further information revealed the next day. The album was released on October 12. Shotaro participated in the album's lead single, "Make A Wish (Birthday Song)", as a member of
NCT U. At the 2020
KBS Song Festival, Shotaro performed a cover of
Got7's "Hard Carry" alongside
Hyunjin,
Moonbin, and
Juyeon. In 2021, Shotaro received a pictorial in the August issue of
Vogue Korea, becoming his first solo magazine photoshoot, modelling brands such as
Dior,
Alexander McQueen, and
Swarovski. Aside from his activities as a member of NCT, Shotaro participated in the
SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express concert tour throughout August 2022, performing "Outro: Dream Routine" with fellow NCT member Sungchan, and
SM Rookies members
Seunghan, Eunseok and Shohei. He also starred in
Welcome to NCT Universe, a variety show showing Shotaro and Sungchan guiding SM Rookies Seunghan, Eunseok and Shohei through "everything about NCT". The ten-episode series aired from November 2022 to February 2023 on
TVING in South Korea, and
Nippon TV and
Hulu in Japan.
2023–present: Move to Riize Though he was originally believed to become a member of NCT's new Japan-based subunit, Shotaro never joined a fixed NCT sub-unit. On May 24, 2023, the band's agency announced that Shotaro, along with fellow member Sungchan, would be leaving NCT. In the statement, the agency said that the duo would be "closing their chapter with NCT", while indicating that both would be joining a new boy band, set to debut in late 2023. Shotaro and Sungchan was among three members to depart the band that month, with
Lucas also departing the band weeks earlier. Shotaro was officially introduced as a member of
Riize on August 1, and made his first appearance with the group in a performance video for "
Siren" on August 7. The group made their official debut on September 4 with the single album
Get a Guitar, which sold more than a million copies in its first week, becoming the second-highest-selling debut album by a band. In December 2024, Shotaro was named "Artist of the Month" by
Mnet's
Studio Choom, a special series highlighting artists considered to have exceptional dance skills. As part of the selection, Shotaro released a dance performance to
Kanye West's "
Clique". ==Endorsements==