Born in Tokyo in 1907, he grew up in a wealthy family engaged in the cosmetics business, studying piano and solfège. From the age of 17, he studied composition under Tetsu Onuma. After graduating from Keio University with a degree in German Literature in 1930, he moved to France the following year, 1931, at the age of 24. He studied composition under teachers such as Léon Koella at the Schola Cantorum and the César Franck School of Music.

Upon his return to Japan in 1936, he made his debut as a composer, winning numerous awards, including those at the New Symphony Orchestra (now NHK Symphony Orchestra) Japanese Works Competition. During the war, as a mid-career musician, he undertook many broadcasting assignments. After the war, in 1946, he joined the re-established Japan Society for Contemporary Music. In 1948, he formed the composition group "Chijinkai" with Komei Abe, Saburo Takata, Kiyohiko Kijima, and others. This group, aiming for the harmonization of Western tradition and Japanese culture, held five concerts to present their works and engaged in active creative activities, primarily focusing on chamber music. In 1948, his only piano solo work, Piano Sonata, was premiered by his wife, the pianist Taeko Hirao. This major work, which delicately fuses lyrical Japanese traditional modes with the well-balanced modern French compositional style, can be considered a masterpiece imbued with Hirao's unique charm. Other captivating chamber works include Piano Quintet "Shunrei" (1945), Violin Sonata (1947), Flute Trio (1949), and Oboe Sonata (1951).

He served as a professor at Kunitachi College of Music and as chairman of the Japan Society for Contemporary Music, among other positions. He passed away in 1953 at the young age of 45 and was posthumously awarded the Mainichi Music Award. His works continue to be performed today by his daughter, the pianist Haruna Hirao, and others.