A month later, Shoji made his first start of the season, playing in the centre–back position, as he helped Kashima Antlers beat Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the J.League Group Stage. Over the season, Shoji then played in different positions, such as, defensive midfield, left–back and right–back, but most of them were substitute. It wasn't until on 8 September 2012 when he scored his first Kashima Antlers’ goal, in a 7–1 win against University of Tsukuba in the second round of the Emperor's Cup. Two months later on 3 November 2012, Shoji started in the left–back position for the J.League Cup Final against Shimizu S-Pulse and played 83 minutes before being substituted, as Kashima Antlers won 2–1, his first title of his career. After the match, Manager Jorginho evaluated his performance. At the end of the 2012 season, he went on to make eighteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. In the 2013 season, Shoji made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute, in a 3–2 win against Vegalta Sendai on 9 March 2013. However, his first team opportunities was limited, due to competitions from Iwamasa, Aoki and new signing, Takanori Maeno. Despite this, Shoji made his first league start, starting the whole game, in a 3–2 win against FC Tokyo on 25 May 2013. By June, he suffered a meniscus damage while training and was sidelined for four months, eventually ruling him out for the rest of the season. Despite this, Shoji went on to make five appearances for the side at the end of the 2013 season. In the 2014 season, Shoji returned to the starting line-up against Ventforet Kofu in the opening game of the season and scored from a header, in a 4–0 win. This was followed up by helping the side keep two clean sheets in the next two matches. His contribution to the first team helped the side finish at the top of the table. However, as the season progressed, the club's place at the top of the table soon slipped. By September, Shoji scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Omiya Ardija on 13 September 2014. This was followed by keeping three clean sheets in the next three matches. The 2014 season proved to be Shoji's breakthrough to the Kashima Anthlers’ first team, and cemented his place in the centre–back position. At the