After graduating from high school, he joined J1 League club Gamba Osaka in 1998.

He moved to Vissel Kobe in 2002 based in his local Hyogo Prefecture and became one of the key players in the team.

He scored 16 goals and his good form earned him a call-up to the national team.

At Emperor's Cup Final, he played as substitute forward and scored a winning goal in extra time.

He was a member of the Japan U-20 national team for 1999 World Youth Championship held in Nigeria.

He made his senior national team debut on October 4, 2006, in a friendly match against Ghana when he replaced Satoru Yamagishi in the 67th minute.