Noda was born 1908 in San Francisco (USA). Since the age of 3, he was taken care of by his uncle in Kumamoto (Kyushu) with whom he continued to live until his teenage years. At the age of 18, he returned to the US. Following his graduation from high school, he enrolled at California School of Fine Arts, and, while a student, assisted Diego Rivera (1886-1957) in creating murals. After he quit California School of Fine Arts, Noda lived in Woodstock Art Village (Upstate New York), and studied mural painting and tempera techniques. In 1932, he won the prize from the Woodstock Artists Association. In the same year, Noda returned to California. He continued to exhibit at the San Francisco Art Association, the Chicago Art Institute, and others.

In 1934, Noda returned to New York and participated in the Second Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting (Whitney Museum), which gained him more recognition in the art world. Around the same time, he assisted Rivera for the murals at Rockefeller Plaza in New York, and worked on his own approach to large-scale compositions. In 1937, following his return to Japan, Noda exhibited at the 2nd Shinseisaku Exhibition and became a member of the Shinseisaku Art Association. In 1938, after his solo exhibition at Nichido Gallery in Ginza (Tokyo), his state of health took a sudden downturn. Being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Noda underwent surgery to no avail. He died in January of 1939 at the age of 30.