Hitomi Honda announced her graduation from AKB48 on her social media page on August 30.

Hitomi Honda said, "I'm graduating from AKB48. As a representative of Tochigi-ken in AKB48 Team 8, I joined the team at 12-years old and promoted as a part of the group for 10 years. As a member of AKB48, as a member of IZ*ONE, and as a selected member of the main team, not to mention being chosen as the center twice, I was able to grow while gaining valuable experiences."

Hitomi Honda, expressed her gratitude to her fans and staff by saying, "Thank you so much for supporting me for the last 10 years, even though I was so inexperienced. I will be leaving this giving environment where I was so blessed, but I will not forget your love and support for me as I take on new challenges and test my capabilities." The singer added, "As the single set for release on September 27 will be my last activity as a member of AKB48, I will be participating in all group events currently being announced. Details on my graduation performance will be revealed at a later time."

Honda Hitomi made her debut in AKB48's Team 8 in 2014, then appeared in Mnet's 'Produce 48', a Korea-Japan joint project in 2018, and became a member of the project group IZ*ONE. After she returned to AKB48, she was chosen as the center of the group.

<Translated by=Jiwon Kim(Dispatch)>