Morning Musume's Leader Ikuta Erina opens up about her feelings toward Kitagawa Rio, who's currently on hiatus

On May 16, Ikuta Erina (27), who will graduate from Morning Musume '25 and Hello! Project after their July 8 concert at Nippon Budokan, attended an event in Tokyo to commemorate the release of her new photobook present. During a press interview, she spoke about Kitagawa Rio, who's currently on hiatus.

When a reporter hinted at the recent turmoil, Ikuta responded firmly as the group’s leader:

“Yes, a lot has happened recently with Morning Musume, but I’ve already expressed everything I feel on my blog. I want to see things through to the end with all 12 members. Even though one member is currently on a break, I’d really like to wait for her return. Of course, it’s something between her and the company, but that’s how I feel.”

Ikuta also revealed that she and Kitagawa had exchanged apologies.

“Yes, she apologized… but I also feel that maybe I made her feel that way in the first place, so I apologized to her, too.”

She added:

“Being in Morning Musume has been fun for me. Nothing changes the fact that we’ve shared this journey. I know what she’s been through with us. That’s why I want to stand on stage with all 12 of us for my graduation.”

In April, private SNS posts apparently written by Kitagawa, expressing dissatisfaction with group members, were leaked online. After facing criticism, Kitagawa admitted to writing them and publicly apologized. Ikuta, as leader, also posted an apology on her blog and said Kitagawa would be taking a break, but she hoped to have her back for the graduation concert.

Source: Yahoo News

1. As the leader, Ikuta probably can’t say much else publicly (who knows how she really feels). The member on break probably upset the group, and at this point, it’s hard to imagine her fitting back in easily. The others must have mixed feelings too. I guess things will be sorted out between her and the management over time. Hopefully they’re also thinking about how the fans feel.

2. I saw this news online and looked into the details, but honestly, I don’t know what that member was usually like. Still, based on what came out, it really doesn’t feel like something that can just be smoothed over. I get that the leader probably can’t say anything too deep and has to keep things surface-level, but even that feels like a stretch—it’s kind of painful to watch. For a group as major as Morning Musume, something like this becoming public is pretty wild.

3. I think it’s pointless for outsiders to assume things like “this is what they really feel.” There’s no way to prove if those guesses are right or not—now or in the future. More than that, wouldn’t it be better to just take what she actually said and the attitude behind it at face value? Personally, I felt really moved seeing how much Eripon has grown into such a solid, admirable leader.

4. Ikuta seems to know she’s being talked about behind her back and probably accepts it. From debut, she played a character that didn’t really read the room, wasn’t as skilled as others, and had a lot of haters. She seems to understand her flaws and whether she can or can’t change them. Also, she genuinely cares for members who are really isolated (like Ogata), and what she’s said about Kitagawa is probably her honest feelings.

5. She probably expected these questions. I think she did her best to say what she could. Of course, there are things she can’t say, and you can sense some behind-the-scenes stuff going on. Being a leader is tough. Hang in there, Ikuta!

6. It’s rare for a group’s conflicts to become this obvious, and I think it’s probably hard to fix things now. Kitagawa is on hiatus, but I don’t think she’ll come back. For her own sake, it might be better if she just decides to quit.

7. There’s probably a chance to make up with the leader, but I don’t think it’ll work with Makino-chan. Makino-chan’s a dance pro, and Kita-chan struggles even with skipping—seems like they have totally opposite work attitudes, so I don’t see them coming together.

8. On the surface, this is all she can really say. Honestly, behind the scenes, no one knows if Kitagawa will actually come back for Ikuta’s graduation concert or just leave. Personally, even if she does come back for the concert, most people will probably just criticize her, like “Who does she think she is coming back like this?” If she’s not ready to seriously commit to Morning Musume going forward, I think it’s better for her to just quit as is.