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| Abe Wakana to Leave NMB48 This Summer as Idol Turns Focus Toward Writing and New Challenges. (Credits: ORICON) |
NMB48 member Abe Wakana has announced she will graduate from the Osaka-based idol group, confirming the decision on 13 March 2026. The 24-year-old shared the news directly with fans through her Twitter account and during the stage performance of Seishun! Koi no Destination, bringing an eight-year career in the group towards its final chapter.
In a message posted online, Abe Wakana reflected on her time since joining the group at 16, thanking supporters who stood behind her throughout the years. She confirmed that her graduation is planned for around summer 2026, with the exact date yet to be announced.
“I will graduate from NMB48,” she wrote. “I joined at 16, and before I realised it eight years had passed. I’ve received so much support and love in such a wonderful environment.”
The announcement was later confirmed on NMB48’s official blog, which praised Abe Wakana’s wide-ranging talents and contributions to the group.
Staff noted that during her time in the group she developed interests beyond the typical idol framework, including investments, rakugo storytelling, and writing, ultimately debuting as a novelist in 2022 with her book Idol Shikkaku.
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Abe Wakana first entered the AKB48 Group Draft system in November 2017 before being selected for Team N in January 2018 during the third draft meeting. She later moved to Team M in 2020, continuing through several team reshuffles over the following years.
Her career path inside the group reflects the evolving structure of NMB48. After starting with Team N, she was promoted to Team M, later reassigned during the 2022 team shuffle, and eventually transferred to Team BII in 2023. In October 2025 she moved again to the promoted members roster.
Over time she became one of the more senior figures among the active members, something she admitted she never expected when she first joined.
“I never imagined I would stay long enough to become the most senior member in the group,” she said in her message.
While performing as an idol remained important to her, Abe Wakana revealed that she had been searching for something uniquely her own during her time in NMB48.
She spoke candidly about trying different creative avenues and eventually discovering writing. What began as a way to broaden her reach as an idol slowly became a genuine passion.
“At first I started writing hoping more people would learn about me as an idol,” she explained. “But before long I realised I wanted to keep telling stories.”
That growing interest played a key role in her decision to graduate. Abe said she increasingly felt that her future path might lie outside the group, prompting her to consider stepping into a new world beyond the idol stage.
Even so, she acknowledged that the decision was far from easy.
NMB48を卒業します！
— 安部若菜 (@_wakapon_) March 13, 2026
16歳で加入して、気づけば8年。
どんな時も背中を押してくれる皆さんと、素敵な環境の中で、たくさんの愛をいただきました💐
卒業は夏頃を予定しています。
それまでは、ありったけの感謝を伝えさせてください！
出会ってくれて、本当にありがとう☺️ pic.twitter.com/KR04A9YPPF
Leaving NMB48, she said, comes with both sadness and uncertainty, but she ultimately wants to see what she might achieve in a new environment.
According to her statement, Abe Wakana will not participate in the group’s next single release. Instead, the coming months will focus on her final appearances and direct interactions with fans.
Events connected to her novel, including a book handover meeting scheduled for 21 March, are expected to be among the last opportunities for supporters to speak with her directly as an NMB48 member.
The group’s management added that further details about her final activities and last performance date will be announced once they are confirmed.
For now, Abe says her priority is simple: make the remaining time count.
“I want to spend the last months sharing as much gratitude as possible,” she wrote.
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News of the graduation spread quickly across fan communities, where reactions have been mixed but largely supportive.
Many fans expressed surprise, noting that Abe Wakana had become one of the more experienced members still active in the group. Some admitted they had hoped to see her remain longer, particularly as she had recently stepped into a more senior role among the members.
Others pointed out that graduation is a familiar part of the 48 Group system, where members regularly leave to pursue new opportunities in entertainment, business or completely different industries.
Supporters also praised her achievements outside the traditional idol path, especially her work as a novelist. Several fans said they were curious to see how her writing career develops once she is free to focus on it fully.
At the same time, discussion has already turned to how the group will mark her departure. Some fans are hoping for a graduation concert or special stage event, though such large send-offs are usually reserved for particularly senior members.
Whether or not a major concert takes place remains unknown.
For Abe Wakana, the coming months mark the closing stretch of a journey that began when she stepped onto the idol stage as a teenager.
Eight years later she leaves as a performer who not only built a steady presence within NMB48 but also carved out an identity beyond the idol world through writing and creative work.
Her final stage date is still to be confirmed, but the message she shared with fans was clear: gratitude for the years spent together and curiosity about what comes next.
What do you think about Abe Wakana’s decision to graduate from NMB48 after eight years? Do you expect a special farewell concert, or will her final appearance be a smaller stage send-off?