Sexy Zone member Marius Yo to leave group and will retire from the entertainment world after New Year’s Eve appearance

Marius Yo (22) of Sexy Zone announced on the 27th that he will leave the group after appearing on “Johnny’s Countdown” on New Year’s Eve and will leave the Johnny’s office. Marius will also retire from the entertainment industry.

The group consists of 4 members: Sato Katsutoshi (26), Nakajima Kento (28), Kikuchi Fuma (27) and Matsushima Satoshi (25).

Marius wrote on the official website, “I have decided to graduate from Sexy Zone and leave Johnny’s office. Sexy Zone, who I have spent almost half of my life with with since I was 11 and gave me the greatest joy. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the fans who have supported me. Also, I am very sorry that I could not meet the expectations of those who have supported Marius as an entertainer and wished to return in good health. I would like to take this opportunity to explain to all the fans who have been waiting for a very long time over the past two years. In December 2020, I took a break from performing arts activities. The main reason, as reported by the office, was poor physical condition due to a loss of mental and physical balance. After spending my childhood in Germany and moving to Tokyo, I was often confused by cultural differences. Ever since I entered the entertainment world, I have had a strong desire to live up to the expectations of fans, members, family members, and people involved, and to make everyone happy. However, as I grew older and devoted myself to living up to expectations, I lost sight of who I really am, what I like, and what I need. In such a state, it became difficult to work hard at work and study, so I took a break. After the announcement of my hiatus, I spent some time in Germany receiving treatment from psychosomatic medicine specialists, and devoted myself to treatment and recuperation. Although I was not able to solve the fundamental problem or recover my physical condition to the point where I could return to the entertainment industry, in order to regain my daily life, I will first try to resume my studies around the summer of 2021. In September, I transferred to a Spanish university. The strong connection with the group has always been a source of emotional support, and I had a strong desire to respond to the wishes of those who were waiting for my return. However, while regaining my daily life, I could not draw a future plan of returning to Japan and returning to the entertainment world. I conveyed this conflict to the members and the agency, and as a result of many discussions, the four older brothers said, ‘I will support Marius’ health and dreams’, and I will graduate at the end of this year. At university, I studied politics, philosophy, law, economics and international advocacy. My first goal is to graduate, and my current dream is to use this knowledge in the future to grow into a person who can be useful to people in need around the world and to the international community”.

Marius gave his thanks to his members but also his fans, “To all my fans: Without each and every one of you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. The love you have shown and the love I have received will remain in my heart forever. I have never regretted becoming an idol. Because you were there. Every time, before going on stage, I thought I would pour all my love and energy into each and every one of you, but in reality, I received a lot of love and energy from all of you. Words cannot express my gratitude. I will never forget my experience so far. I love you with all my heart. The years I spent with Sexy Zone and fans are my irreplaceable assets. I sincerely hope that everyone in Sexy Zone will be loved by more people, and that we will be able to share unforgettable and precious moments with everyone for a long time to come. From now on, I will continue to support Sexy Zone as a fan. And in my daily life, I will do my best to be useful and give back something to the people. Until the day our paths overlap somewhere in the future, I wish you all good health and happiness”.