TOKYO (TR) – Former AKB48 member and television personality Tomomi Itano announced on Wednesday that she is leaving her longtime talent agency, Horipro, to strike out on her own after a 19-year stint.
Taking to Instagram, the 34-year-old revealed her decision to sever ties with the powerhouse agency she joined at the age of 15.
“I have a report to make. I have decided to leave Horipro and become independent. Thank you so much for everything over these past 19 years,” Itano wrote to her followers.
“I wanted to take another step forward”
Having marked her 20th year in the entertainment industry last year, Itano cited a desire for a new challenge as the driving force behind the split.
“I’ve had more time to think deeply about my future and how I want to live my life,” she explained. “During that time, I started to feel that I wanted to take another step forward on my own, which led to this decision.”
Despite the major career shift, Itano expressed deep gratitude to Horipro, describing the agency as a “family” that warmly guided her when she was young and inexperienced. While she admitted to feeling a degree of anxiety about flying solo, she emphasized her excitement for the new chapter and vowed to continue working at her own pace.
Itano debuted as a founding member of the mega-idol group AKB48 in 2005 and participated in their breakout 2006 single “Aitakatta.” She launched her solo career in 2011 with the track “Dear J” before officially graduating from the group in 2013.
In her private life, Itano married Tokyo Yakult Swallows pitcher Keiji Takahashi in January 2021 and welcomed her first child, a baby girl, in October of the same year.
