Naomichi Ueda was born on 24 October 1994 in Kumamoto, Japan. He came through Kashima Antlers' youth ranks and won the J.League Cup in 2015, the J1 League in 2016, the Emperor's Cup in 2016–17, the Super Cup in 2017, and the AFC U23 Asian Cup with Japan in 2015–16.
In summer 2018 Cercle Brugge in Belgium signed Ueda. After multiple Belgian Pro League seasons, he moved to Nîmes in France in January 2021. In January 2023 he returned home to Kashima Antlers.
His Kashima return has been productive. The 2023 season brought 34 J1 matches with 2 goals; the 2024 season produced 38 J1 matches with 3 goals and 2 assists, plus an Emperor's Cup goal; the 2025 season was outstanding with 38 J1 matches, 2 goals and 5 assists.
For Japan, Ueda was a member of the squad that won the EAFF E-1 Football Championship in 2025.
A 186cm two-footed centre-back with aerial dominance, ball-playing security and the senior leadership of a multi-tournament international, Ueda has been a Japan regular for over a decade. He is a candidate for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad as a senior centre-back depth option, alongside Ko Itakura and Maya Yoshida (now retired).