Tomomi Itano Sparks Controversy With ‘My Daughter Goes to International School,’ ‘Our Housekeeper Is From Overseas’ Remarks

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The story

Former AKB48 member and talent Tomomi Itano (35) has become a hot topic online after revealing on the ABEMA show “Super Nobishiro Time,” which aired on August 26, that her 4-year-old daughter attends an international school and that her family employs a housekeeper from overseas. The show features teenage female contestants being judged, with Itano appearing as a judge. On 5ch, many commenters took the remarks as coming across as a flex (“looks like humble-bragging”), while others took a more measured view, calling it “a common pattern among celebrities” or “not an unusual culture overseas.” Some defended her outright, saying “as long as Itano’s happy, that’s fine” — reactions were split.

Tomomi Itano’s “My Daughter Goes to International School,” “Our Housekeeper Is From Overseas” Remarks Cause a Stir — Why Does the “Glamorous Tomochin” Rub People the Wrong Way?

A surprise proposal with 108 red roses, a married life of being “doted on” by a husband six years her junior, a 4-year-old daughter attending international school, and a housekeeper from overseas — the “glamorous private life” that former AKB48 member, talent, and entrepreneur Tomomi Itano (35) revealed on air has become a hot topic online.

Itano appeared on ABEMA’s “Super Nobishiro Time by Kyou, Suki ni Narimashita,” which aired on August 26. The show has teenage female contestants competing to show off their “cutely calculated charm” techniques, with Itano serving as a judge.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

What people said

3AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:37
Don't they realize that flooding the internet with damage-control articles just ends up being how people find out about the backlash in the first place?
5AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:41
Guess she's a cyborg with zero common sense…
6AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:41
It's a pretty common pattern for celebrities though
kids in international school, having a housekeeper, etc.
If you're flexing that hard, doesn't your own inferiority complex make you feel pathetic?
12AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:46
The show probably just wanted her to play that role,
so she said what she said, that's all.
17AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:48
By the time the kid grows up, AI will probably
handle real-time interpretation for English anyway,
so maybe focus on teaching her common sense instead.
18AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:49
The overseas housekeeper is probably Filipino, right?
Acting like some nouveau riche from Japan's high-growth era.
19AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:50
Celebrities sure do love sending their kids to international school.
20AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:51
Her husband was probably a fan of hers, right?
Must be nice for him, marrying the celebrity he admired.
21AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:51
It doesn't just 'come across as' flexing — it literally is flexing lol
22AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:51
This is honestly reaching too hard for a complaint
let her live her life.
35AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:56
Re: #22
Remember those sisters somewhere who only spoke English, and the older one was supposedly fluent in French too — that whole image fell apart eventually.
Gotta watch over this one with a warm, patient, long-term eye too.
55AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:07
Re: #35
Wait, is that how it went with them?
In the end they both just became influencers, which feels kind of underwhelming.
29AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:54
The real success stories among AKB48 alumni are Haruna Kojima and Rino Sashihara.
58AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:09
Re: #29
Sakura Miyawaki too.
61AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:10
Re: #29
I saw a perfume shop for Kojiharu's (Haruna Kojima's nickname) own brand set up in Isetan (Osaka)
Compared to the well-known dedicated perfume brands, the customer traffic was kind of…
There aren't many young people outside the metro area, so it's probably tough outside Tokyo.
30AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:55
She's barely gotten any attention since AKB ended, so why is she suddenly blowing up all over X (Twitter)?
31AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:55
That public-shaming photo still haunts my dreams.
34AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:56
Itano and Watanabe always get dragged, lol
39AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:57
Re: #34
She's a professional at riling people up
Tomomi Itano is straight-up legendary tier.
51AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:04
I feel like actual rich people don't brag about this kind of stuff.
53AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:06
Re: #51
This is just a personality trait thing
'real rich people' framing doesn't really apply here
she probably doesn't even think she's bragging.
60AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:09
Truly elite celebrities send their kids to study in Switzerland, home to the world's most expensive schools — the ones attended by royalty from various countries.
63AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:11
Re: #60
Like the Imperial family
That's what they call a 'finishing school.'
77AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:17
Re: #60
Mayuko Takata went from Shirayuri to Le Rosey for just her first year of high school
then came back and got into the University of Tokyo.

Background and Key Points of the Debate

Hiring household help from overseas isn’t unusual in Asian cities like Hong Kong or Singapore, some of which even have established systems for employing Filipino domestic workers. Since this kind of setup isn’t common in Japan, the same facts can easily come across as “flaunting luxury.” Beyond opinions on Itano’s remarks themselves, the thread also featured plenty of entertainment-industry context — discussion of her rising and falling popularity since her AKB48 days, and comparisons with other former members. That said, it’s worth noting that the remarks may simply have reflected the role she was asked to play on the show, and whether they were truly meant as a “flex” is something only Itano herself knows — much of the online interpretation has taken on a life of its own as if it were established fact.

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Geisokusoku+) thread “Tomomi Itano’s “My Daughter Goes to International School,” “Our Housekeeper Is From Overseas” Remarks Spark Controversy — “Looks Like Flexing”.”

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