AKB48 producer Akimoto Yasushi commented on Sashihara Rino’s graduation

AKB48 producer Akimoto Yasushi has a strong fatherly relationship with HKT48 member, Sashihara Rino.

Even when Sashihara Rino was at her lowest point after a scandal (and was dropped out of AKB48), he gave her the chance to restart from scratch, to be responsible for a new group of youngsters in Hakata known as HKT48 and since then, Sashihara Rino has established herself as one of the most successful members of AKB48G, appearing on television, commercials, magazines and more collectively on a weekly basis.

She is the only AKB48 member that has won the Senbatsu Election four times and was crowned as queen three consecutive years.

Needless to say, he believed in her during the toughest times of her life and watched her transform to one of the top and most popular idols in Japan ever.

On the day of her graduation (which was held at Yokohama Stadium), Akimoto commented:

I have said in the past that AKB48 was about Takahashi Minami.  How Takahashi Minami was not the most agile but she worked hard for her dream with AKB48.  And now you can say the say about Sashihara Rino.  Because she was an idol otaku who had dropped out and had to make herself one of the top idols and become a producer who will foster in the idols of the future.

Why did Sashihara Rino’s manage to succeed from adversity?  When I am with her, I always notice that she is always singing a song.  As well as the AKB48 group, she always has a favorite idol song at that time.  Hard times, sad times, fun times.  For her, being an idol is everything.  “I want to always like what I like” and I think that is such a simple thing that is a driving force that has made her work hard so far.

Sashihara Rino graduated from the AKB48 group, but she is a lifetime idol.  Thank you very much and continue to do your best.

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