Aya Imai

is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 1-dan. She is the first women's professional shogi player to come from Nagoya.

Early life and becoming a women's professional shogi player Imai was born in Nagoya on October 25, 2001. She learned how to play shogi from her father when she was five years old. At first, she mainly played against her older brother and continued to improve to the point where she start attending a local shogi school. As a second-grade elementary school student, she entered the Tokai branch of the Japan Shogi Association's training group system under the tutelage of shogi professional Masataka Sugimoto. At the end of November 2022, she decided to formally leave the apprentice school at the rank of 1-kyū because she did not feel she would be able to achieve promotion to the next rank of 1-dan in accordance with JSA apprentice school's rules which require that apprentice professionals achieve said rank within one year of turning 21 years old.

1-kyū: February 1, 2023 1-dan: August 20, 2023

Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.

Personal life Imai is the first women's professional from Nagoya. she is a third-year university student at Doshisha University.