Minatozaki Sana

Sana was born on December 29, 1996 in Tennoji-ku, Osaka, Japan, she is the only child of her parents.

Sana attended EXPG (Exile Professional Gym) Osaka branch, a dance and vocal studio where many Japanese idols trained, including some members of E-girls, Generations and The Rampage, from 2009 to early 2012. She first got interested in K-pop because of Girls' Generation's and KARA's rising popularity in Japan. In her last year of middle school, she was scouted by JYP Entertainment on the street while shopping with her friends and auditioned on April 13, 2012. She lived in South Korea and trained in JYP Entertainment for three years before beginning her career.

In 2014, she appeared in the music video of Got7's "A" and Junho's "Feel", making her noticeable and likeable by the public eye.

In 2015, Sana was a contestant on the TV Show Sixteen, she was one of sixteen female trainees in JYP Entertainment, who had to compete in singing, dancing and modelling, in order to become a member of JYP's upcoming girl group. At the end of the show, she was announced as a member of Twice.