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The story
As Hello! Project approaches its 30th anniversary, 5ch users have been buzzing about which graduated members are likely barred from appearing at the milestone event over past scandals. Cited examples included Hitomi Yoshizawa’s hit-and-run case, Ai Kago’s underage smoking, and Chisato Okai’s affair reports, with names from C-ute and Country Musume — like Rio Fujii, Reina Ichioka, and Masae Otani — also coming up. The thread was split on whether the no-shows reflect agency policy or the members’ own choice to stay away, and some argued “she’s already been forgiven,” pointing to Kago’s appearance at the 20th anniversary.
What people said
Okai's out.
I don't think Momoko's coming — by her own choice.
Though it'd be huge if Momochi actually showed up.
Isn't it basically nobody but Nomura?
You think they'd actually let her appear?
She's been forgiven.
Mo(rning Musume): Ichii, Yoshizawa, Kago, (Kitagawa)
A(NGERME): Wada Ayaka, Fukuda Kanon
Ju(ice=Juice): Kanazawa, Takagi
Country (Musume): (Tsugunaga, Yamaki)
Kobushi (Factory): Fujii, Ogawa, Hamaura, Taguchi, Wada Sakurako
Tsubaki (Factory): —
Berryz (Kobo): Ichioka
Cha(o Bella Cinquetty): Tashiro, Ishiguri
Other: Otani, Miuna
Tsugunaga is staying away by her own choice; Kitagawa and Yamaki could show their faces depending on whether their current job allows it.
Sorry, forgot to put Okai under C-ute.
Wait, is Hamaura a no-go too?
If just retiring counts as a ban, there'd be way more names on this list.
If it's personal choice, Michishige probably wouldn't show up either.
She's become too much of a legend at this point.
She's not coming as long as Nishiguchi is still at Up-Front.
If Morning Musume gets on Kohaku for the 30th and they bring out everyone from 9th gen onward, they could extend the all-time cumulative appearance record,
but there's a real risk Yokoyama alone just doesn't turn up.
Niinuma's not actually banned — she's still come to Tsubaki Factory concerts and taken photos even after leaving the agency.
She just isn't worth featuring, so she doesn't get invited.
Are there even any OGs who are genuinely banned?
Even Kago, who smoked underage, got to stand on that stage,
so it's probably only someone like Yoshizawa, who actually got the police involved.
Rakko (nickname) is probably on the same level as Momochi.
It just came out that she's divorced with a kid.
She didn't actually do anything wrong.
That covers Ayacho, Maro, Saruki, and Hamaura (Sakurako).
though she'd probably turn it down herself.
That's really down to whether they themselves want to appear.
Kitagawa's actually fully retired from the entertainment industry, isn't she?
Not the Melon Kinenbi Saito —
the Miuna one.
Just saying "Saito" doesn't tell you which one.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Hello! Project has produced a huge number of groups over its roughly 30-year history, so it’s no surprise that quite a few graduated members carry publicly known scandals — traffic incidents, underage smoking, affair reports, and the like. Management agency Up-Front has never officially stated who can or can’t appear at milestone events, so the thread split over whether absences come down to “the agency’s call” or simply “the member not wanting to appear.” Ai Kago’s appearance at the 20th anniversary was cited as evidence that there’s room for a comeback over time even after a scandal, but it’s worth noting that most of the specific line-drawing over who can’t appear and why is 5ch speculation, not anything the agency has officially announced.
*This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Sad News] Hello Pro Members Who Can’t Show Their Faces at the 30th Anniversary: Hitomi Yoshizawa, Masae Otani, Miu Saito, Reina Ichioka, Rio Fujii…“
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