AKB48 officially announced the termination of member Hanada Mei’s exclusive contract on June 23, 2026.
The decision quickly sparked widespread discussion among fans due to conflicting statements from both the agency and the idol herself.
Shortly after the announcement, Hanada released a video lasting more than nine minutes, drawing significant public attention.
Appearing with her hair shaved extremely short, she apologized to fans and admitted that she had met and held hands with a fan outside official activities.
Hanada acknowledged that her actions were careless and did not reflect the responsibility expected of an idol.
She also admitted that she had previously hinted at her location on Weverse, encouraging fans to look for her. Looking back, she said she now regrets those actions.
In the video, Hanada further claimed that she felt pressured during discussions with management following the incident.
She alleged that examples of past idol scandals involving head shaving were brought up during conversations and that she interpreted the situation as a condition for continuing her activities within AKB48.
After shaving his head, Hanada continued to receive assurances that management had never asked him to do so.
“Since I could no longer trust management, I tried communicating in writing multiple times, putting into words what I wanted to say, and contacting them through a lawyer.
However, the response I received was almost always just, ‘Let’s meet and talk first. We never told you to shave your head.
We suspended your activities because we were concerned about your health’,” she said.
AKB48 management strongly denied those allegations. In its official statement, the company insisted that no one had instructed or forced Hanada to shave her head.
According to the agency, staff merely referenced a past case involving a senior member and never demanded such an action.
While some fans are questioning communication practices between talent and management, others are debating the strict rules that govern idol-fan relationships within the industry.
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