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21-year-old Rio Kitagawa in the hot seat. (Re: Kitagawa Rio's Snapchat Scandal) The idol has officially announced a break from group activities after a string of personal mishaps went public, and let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty.
Up-Front Promotion, her management agency, dropped the bombshell on 17 April, confirming that Rio would be stepping away from the spotlight “for the time being”.
The statement explained that a matter came to light which “violated Hello! Project rules,” and yep, Rio herself owned up to it.
Apparently, Kitagawa Rio herself requested the break. According to the agency, she’s taking time to reflect, learn from this, and give her fellow members a bit of emotional space. Sounds like a reset button if we’ve ever seen one.
This isn’t the first time she’s been caught in an online whirlwind either. Back in January, some private photos of her leaked online — nothing too wild, but enough to raise eyebrows. Then April rolled in with an even bigger mess: screenshots of her supposed private Insta account made the rounds.
Official Morning Musume's Statement as Translated by UpFrontLink (X):
"Announcement Regarding Rio Kitagawa's Hiatus from Morning Musume '25.
Thank you for your continued support of Hello! Project and Morning Musume' 25.
Recently, it was confirmed that
Rio Kitagawa was involved in a matter that violated the rules of Hello! Project, and she herself has acknowledged the facts.
In light of this, and following her own request
to voluntarily step back and reflect on her actions,
we have decided that she will temporarily suspend all activities.
Taking into consideration the feelings of the other members,
and to allow Kitagawa time for sincere reflection and self-reassessment, she will be on hiatus for the time being.
Details regarding her return to activities will be announced at a later date.
We sincerely apologize to all fans and related parties for the concern and inconvenience this may have caused.
We appreciate your continued support for Morning Musume'25.
April 17, 2025
Up-Front Promotion Co., Ltd. Representative Director: Takeshi Nishiguchi"
**
Official Kitagawa Rio's Statement:
"Statement from Rio Kitagawa
Thank you as always for your warm support.
Regarding the recent issue that has caused concern,
I deeply apologize for my immature actions that worried and upset many fans.
I have personally apologized to each of the members
who were hurt by this incident.
The content currently circulating comes from
a private exchange on social media
between me and a close female friend from my university days,
where we used to share daily life updates and work-related messages.
During these exchanges, I exaggerated certain things and,
without understanding the full meaning,
ended up using inappropriate language.
I now realize that my actions were extremely careless. To take time for reflection and self-correction,
I will be suspending my activities for a while.
To all the fans, related parties, and fellow members, I would like to once again express my sincere apologies.
Please continue to support Morning Musume'25.
Rio Kitagawa"
And what was in them? Criticism of her fellow members, a few jabs at work life, and the kind of venting you really don’t want plastered across the internet when you’re in a girl group. Fans spotted it, and reactions were swift — and not in her favour.
To be fair, Rio didn’t hide from it. She took to the 15th gen blog on 14 April and said, “Everything out there was written by me. I’m sorry for my immature actions that hurt my members and the fans.”
Born on 16 March 2004 and originally from Tokyo, Rio joined Morning Musume back in June 2019. She was known for her soft visuals and quiet charm, but this latest chapter might just shift her image for good.
Her fans — and the wider idol community — have been split. Some say she’s young and everyone makes mistakes. Others think she’s broken the unspoken contract idols have with their image and responsibilities.
Either way, she’s off the stage for now. The agency said they’ll announce her return “at a later date”, but there’s no clear timeline. Whether she comes back stronger or fades from the scene is anyone’s guess.
What’s certain is this: in an industry where image is everything, privacy is a fragile thing — and Rio’s just learnt that the hard way.