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The story
Rio Kitagawa, a former member of the idol group Morning Musume who now works as an announcer at TV Tokyo, sparked discussion on 5ch (a major Japanese anonymous forum, formerly 2channel) after posting on the station’s official Instagram: “Before I knew it, it’s almost been 2 years…!! This is a memory photo from the day I got my job offer (naitei — the formal, pre-graduation job acceptance notice common in Japanese hiring).” Kitagawa left the idol group and transitioned into a TV announcer career following a scandal involving leaked information about her dating life and private life. In the thread, opinions split over how the timing of her job offer relates to the circumstances of her idol “graduation” (sotsugyou — the standard term idols use for leaving a group), and whether the timing of her departure had actually been decided long in advance.
What people said
See, the job offer really did come early
Told you so
was that whole leaked-photo scandal actually a script written by the agency and Kitagawa herself?
Because otherwise there's no way their ace could suddenly quit Morning Musume
It's also weird that whoever leaked it still hasn't been arrested
Nope, that's not it
The original plan was a joint graduation for Kitagawa and Yokoyama at Yokohama Arena (a major concert venue) at the end of last year
Nah, she could've just said 'I found a new goal' and quit like normal, lol
That's how past star members like Sayashi Riho left too
That's exactly why — a triple graduation concert with Yokoyama and Haga all at once would've been too much of a burden
so she stepped back
Just bad timing
Also I bet it was either the guy or a friend who leaked it
The dating photos weren't even leaked, the guy just posted them normally
Kitagawa herself said the slander against other members came from a female friend
First off, realize you can't exactly job-hunt like a regular person while hiding it from your agency
the plan was for her and Haga to have a joint graduation last fall
Yokoyama's mental health issue was the unexpected part
No, it was a joint graduation for Kitagawa and Yokoyama
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcvfMPLEg3y/
Story (Instagram Stories)
rio_kitagawa_tx
Before I knew it, it's almost been 2 years…!!
This is a memory photo from the day I got my job offer 📸
Starting today,
applications are open for the final selection round
for our Class of 2028 (students graduating university in 2028) new-grad announcer hiring!
Looking forward to your applications!
@tx_recruit
#TVTokyo
that's probably why they let her 'graduate' instead of just kicking her out or firing her outright, even after all that
Was that whole thing really that bad though?
Did she become an idol as a stepping stone to becoming an announcer?
It's basically been swept under the rug, so it's fine now
Turns out she just started updating it less and less once she began aiming to become an announcer
That's a judgment call for whoever's putting the info out
Kitagawa's only been handed rookie-level assignments so far
Sounds like you still think announcer Kitagawa is being frozen out
Background and key points of the debate
Announcer hiring at Japanese TV stations generally follows the “shinsotsu ikkatsu saiyo” system — simultaneous, single-batch recruiting of new university graduates — in which job offers go out in the fall of a student’s third year, while the actual start date isn’t until the following spring, roughly a year and a half to two years later. A gap of that length between offer and start date is nothing unusual. Read one way, Kitagawa’s post is simply her reflecting on that ordinary hiring timeline. But because the timing overlaps with when she left Morning Musume (amid the scandal over leaked information about her dating life and private life), the thread filled with speculation that her graduation from the group may have already been decided before the job offer even came through. It’s worth stressing this isn’t an officially confirmed fact — it’s speculation built entirely on a coincidence in timing. Several posts also flatly asserted the hiring was secured through “connections” (kone), but since no evidence was given for that claim, those posts have been excluded from this article.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project subforum) thread “Announcer Rio Kitagawa: ‘Before I knew it, it’s been 2 years since I got my job offer’ — this.”
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