Ryoya Ogawa was born on 24 November 1996 in Tokyo. He came through FC Tokyo's youth ranks and won the J.League Cup in 2020–21 with the senior side. After loan and permanent moves to Vitória de Guimarães in Portugal (2022) and KAS Eupen / Sint-Truiden in Belgium, he returned to Kashima Antlers in June 2025.
His Belgian career was outstanding. The 2024 season produced 35 Belgian Pro League matches with 2 goals and 3 assists for Sint-Truiden — establishing him as one of the most reliable Japanese left-backs in Belgium.
The 2025 season at Kashima brought 15 J1 League matches with 2 assists. He had previously played 3 matches at the 2022 World Cup 2022 qualifying stage with Japan.
A 183cm two-footed left-back with attacking quality, set-piece delivery and the senior leadership of a multi-league international, Ogawa is one of Japan's most experienced full-backs across Asian and European leagues. He is a candidate for the wider 2026 FIFA World Cup squad as a left-back depth option.