 In April 2016, she was accepted into Class D1 of the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) training group system, and she finished tied for third in the 48th later that same year in October.Katō was promoted to Class C1 of the training group system in September 2017 after winning six games in a row, which meant she met the criteria for becoming a provisional women's professional shogi player ranked 3-kyū, and officially became a provisional women's professional, under the guidance of shogi professional , on April 1, 2018.In July 2018, she advanced to the main tournament draw of the 12th , which meant that she qualified for promotion to the rank of women's professional 2-kyū and full women's professional status.