Kuniko Kato graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music, and continued her study at Rotterdam Conservatory where she graduated summa cum loude. She has won several prizes both in and outside Japan, including Kranichsteiner Musikpreis from the Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt in 1996 and second prize at the International Leigh Howard Stevens Marimba competition in 1996. Along with her solo performances in Asia, Europe and the United States, she has been a member of various orchestras and chamber groups such as the Saito Kinen Orchestra (Japan) and Ensemble ICTUS (Belgium).