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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

Japanese Idol Group Expels Member Over Private Contact With Fan, Cancels Birthday Event

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Maneki Kecak terminated Iroha Mitsui’s contract for private contact with a fan, which its management classified as a serious breach.
  • Her Oct. 11 birthday event in Tokyo was canceled three days after tickets and fan-support preparations began.
  • The group said four remaining members will continue future activities, while fans criticized Mitsui on X.

Iroha Mitsui’s departure from the Japanese idol group Maneki Kecak came just three days after the group announced a birthday event for her, turning preparations for the celebration into an abrupt cancellation.

first-year idol

— Maneki Kecak managementThe description previously used for Iroha Mitsui’s gentle, inexperienced idol image.

Management announced on the 29th of last month that Mitsui’s contract had ended immediately after she was found to have had private contact with a particular fan. The company classified the conduct as a serious breach of contract. Mitsui joined Maneki Kecak as a sixth-generation member in April 2024 and had been described by management as a gentle, soft-spoken “first-year idol.”

Her birthday event had been scheduled for Oct. 11 at club asia in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. Tickets ranged from 1,000 yen for a first-time visitor ticket to 8,000 yen for front-area and photography-area access. A fan-club lottery had already begun, and some supporters had started collecting donations to organize the event.

tarnishing the great group Maneki Kecak

— Fans on XOne criticism directed at Mitsui after her contract termination.

Maneki Kecak, formed in 2015, has built a following around its concept of trainee angels who descend to Earth to bring good fortune to the world. The group performed at Nippon Budokan in 2018. Fans reacted angrily on X, with some accusing Mitsui of tarnishing the group and lacking awareness of what its name represented. Management apologized, saying the incident had seriously betrayed the trust of fans and others who support the group. Future activities will continue with Nagisa Kaede, Suzu Horiuchi, Yumi Hayase and Rio Hidaka.

had no awareness of bearing the group’s name

— Fans on XAnother fan reaction to the private contact controversy.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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