Riria Ito recently announced that she is graduating from Nogizaka46 after more than a decade with the group.
The singer shared the news on social media on 17 October with a photo of her Nogi uniform, writing” I, Riria Ito, will be leaving Nogizaka46 with my 43rd single. I joined as a junior high school student and have been with Nogizaka46 for about 10 years.”
“It’s a bit scary to leave my favourite place, but I’ll take one step forward. Thank you all for your support until the very end!” she added.
The 43rd single, “Kimi Loss” is set to be released on 2 December. Her graduation ceremony is expected to take place sometime before the end of the year.
The singer joined the group’s third generation in September 2016. In her blog post, she said that she began wanting to experience being a fan of the group from the outside after watching one member after another leaving the group.
She also expressed her intention to continue her entertainment career, primarily on acting.
(Photo Source: Riria IG)