#18-Year-Old Face of Keyakizaka46, Yurina Hirate, “Quits” the Idol Group -BB

It’s been an odd month for the 48 groups and Sakamichi series of idols. With company restructuring, and the face of Nogizaka46 graduating, what else could happen to the groups in the first month of the decade? Well, on January 22, the 18-year-old face and leader of Keyakizaka46, Yurina Hirate, announced during Tokyo FM’s SCHOOL OF LOCK! show that she would be “quitting” the group.

A follow-up post went live on the Keyakizaka46 website announcing that fan-favorite members Nana Oda, known for her variety work on shows such as KeyaBingo, and Miyu Suzumoto, are graduated, effective immediately. The post also mentioned that Shiori Sato has gone on “hiatus” with the group at her own request.

Suzumoto wrote a blog post that “over time, things change.” While she “loves performing as Keyakizaka” the 22-year-old felt that her “performance wasn’t enough” and was only performing “half-heartedly.” Because she feels she’s no “longer in the position to perform songs to their fullest” she “decided to graduate from Keyakizaka46.”

Nana Oda and Miyu Suzumoto in 2019

While it’s common for when idols want to go their own way to “graduate” from groups – making it seem like they’re finishing their training and finally becoming a full star – Hirate specifically requested to use the term “quit,” said Nikkan Sports, which gives off a much harsher vibe. All three girls are not getting their own graduation concerts, despite Hirate being the face of Keyakizaka46 since its inception and headling all their singles, all of which reached number one on the Japanese music charts.

Hirate said during the radio program that she “doesn’t want to talk [about quitting] right now. If I want to talk about it, I will. I feel like the atmosphere of the scene has changed, but for now, I want to go on as usual with a bright atmosphere.” Nikkan Sports mentions that Hirate is expected to go on to have a solo career, but the details haven’t been confirmed at this time.

The 18-year-old (who was then only 16) made headlines in Japan alongside Miyu Suzumoto and former Keyakizaka46 member, Manaka Shida, for fainting during a live performance of the above song at Kohaku Uta Gassen in 2017, one of the biggest nights on Japanese TV. The girls were taken off stage, diagnosed with hyperventilation and treated on-site, posting smiling photos through the official social media accounts a few hours later. Since then, all three of the girls (until Shida graduated) have had to take breaks from the group for medical reasons.

Source: Nikkan Sports (1, 2, 3), ARAMA! JAPAN, Miyu Suzumoto’s Blog

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Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs the YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.