Overseasidol.com — On December 12, Mukaichi Mion officially announced her graduation from AKB48 during the “Koko Kara da” stage performance at AKB48 Theater.
The news was also shared through the group’s official blog, marking the upcoming end of her 12-and-a-half-year journey as one of AKB48’s central and most influential figures.
Mion reflected on her long career, recalling how she first encountered AKB48 at the age of 12 before joining at 15.
“AKB48 has been my entire youth. I never imagined the day would come when I would leave this place I love so deeply.
Realizing that it’s finally my turn to move forward fills me with a strange mix of emotion—it feels both profound and surreal,” she wrote.
Having served as a single center, the third General Manager (Soukantoku), and currently one of the group’s most senior members, Mion said she experienced countless unforgettable moments.
She added that being part of AKB48 allowed her to see “extraordinary scenery” she would never have known otherwise.
After the recent 20th Anniversary Concert at Nippon Budokan, she felt she had successfully passed the baton from the “AKB48 of the past” to the “AKB48 of today,” giving her a first-ever sense of completion.
Her graduation is scheduled for spring 2026. Mion expressed deep gratitude to her fellow members, staff, and above all, the fans who supported her with unwavering love.
“I want to repay everyone who has helped me, and leave something meaningful for the members who will follow.
Spring will come before we know it, so I hope you will stay with me and enjoy these final moments of my youth until the day I graduate. I love AKB48 so much!” she said.
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