NIIGATA (TR) – Following the emergence of the assault of Maho Yamaguchi, a popular member of idol unit NGT48, the group’s agency on Friday announced the cancellation of three upcoming performances.
According to the site of the group, the canceled shows were scheduled for Friday and January 13. No reason for the cancellations was given.
The move follows the emergence of an assault incident that targeted the 23-year-old Yamaguchi. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, the idol said that two men grabbed her by the face and shoved her down as tried to close the front door of her residence in Niigata City after she returned home alone from a show on December 8.
According to police, the men, both 25, were accused of assault after the incident. However, they were released on December 29.
During questioning, the pair denied the charges, saying they merely wanted to speak with Yamaguchi. “I hold a fondness for her,” one of them was quoted.
The day before taking to Twitter, Yamaguchi appeared on “Showroom,” a live program that allows fans to interact with members of the group. “I thought I was going to be killed,” Yamaguchi said on the program regarding the incident. After she began speaking, the program was abruptly terminated.
AKS initially declined to comment. However, on Thursday it issued a statement, acknowledging that Yamaguchi had endured psychological trauma as a result of the incident. It also recognized that the fact that she revealed details of the matter on social media was “due to our lack of correspondence with her and her fans.”
