A beloved member of a longtime girl group is moving on after eight years as a member.
Takemoto Yui is a second-generation member of the J-Pop girl group Sakurazaka46. The group formed as Keyakizaka46 in 2015 and rebranded as Sakurazaka46 in 2020. Yui became a member after she passed the Sakamichi Joint Auditions in 2018.
Like many Japanese idol groups, Sakurazaka46 has a system that allows current members to “graduate” from the group and new members to join. On February 5, Yui announced on her personal blog that she will be leaving the group on March 11, after the promotions for Sakurazaka46’s 14th single, “The Growing Up Train,” end.
In her heartfelt blog post, Yui reflected on her eight wonderful years with the group, while praising her members and thanking fans for their support. Though she feels sad about leaving Sakurazaka46, Yui emphasized that she no longer feels any hesitation or anxiety about the future; she’s looking forward to a new chapter and discovering who she is outside of Sakurazaka46.
According to Sakurazaka46’s management, the schedule and details for Yui’s final activities will be revealed once they have been finalized.
