Born in Oita Prefecture in Japan, he and his family moved to LA, California three months after his birth. He started dancing at a young age as his parents ran a dance studio. At the age of seven, he won first place in the solo category of a dance contest sponsored by the Edge Performing Arts Center. He also started acting at a young age, appearing in Disney's "Movie Surfers".
For a period of time, he was a member of Small but BIG 4 and TOPS under Johnny's Entertainment. He also worked as a backing dancer for Akanishi Jin.
His first drama appearance came when he appeared in "Tumbling" in 2010. He has been active as an actor in Japan for 6 years. He changed his stage name to Iwanaga Joey in 2016. From April 2016 until January 31, 2019 he belonged to Ishihara Promotions with an exclusive contract.