In the international competition arena, Tomoko Kato won second prize at the 7trh Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1982.
Since returning to Japan in 1983 for her domestic recital debut, she has appeared regularly with Japan's most prominent orchestras and under the batons of leading conductors. While keeping active in various chamber ensemble performances, Tomoko Kato founded the Lilia Ensemble in 1991, a chamber group based near Tokyo. Though their performances, Ms. Kato works to introduce new artists to the public eye, and the group is frequently featured in television and radio programs on NHK, Japan's national public broadcasting network. In 1993, Ms. Kato performed chamber concerts and toured Italy, Egypt, and Brussels with Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky.
International invitations then took her to the 1987 Algerian Music Festival, followed by a recital tour of Algeria, Morocco, Greece, and Turkey. In 1988, she toured as the soloist for the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra's Europe tour. And in October of 1991, she made well-received tours to both China and Korea. 1993 included a Southeast Asian tour with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestre, and recordings in Moscow and perforances in Los Angeles. An acclaimed engagement with the Orchestra National de Lyon and Maestro Krivine . Ms. Kato also toured as the soloist for the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonia in Japan and St. Petersburg in 2000.