Kago Ai Smoking Scandal

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Kago Ai, one half of W and a former member of Morning Musume, was photographed smoking while underage. The photos were published by FRIDAY magazine in February 2006. Consequently, Kago was suspended from all work for Hello! Project for one year, and she returned to her hometown of Nara to live with her family.

In January 2007, Kago's suspension was lifted and she returned to Tokyo. She began working as a receptionist in the offices of Up-Front Agency (UFA) while the details of her comeback were being decided. Her return was announced via an interview in FRIDAY magazine, which was leaked onto the Internet in February 2007.

In March 2007, Weekly Gendai — another gossip tabloid — published new photos that showed Kago visiting a hot springs resort with an older man. The tabloid reported that the two had spent the night alone together, but that when confronted, they claimed to be cousins attending a family function. The report also said that Kago was seen smoking again.

On 26 March 2007, UFA confirmed that the Weekly Gendai story was true as reported and that they had decided to terminate Kago's contract.

Contents

The First Scandal Breaks

On 9 February 2006, it was confirmed that FRIDAY, the tabloid magazine notorious for breaking scandalous stories about Japanese celebrities (including Yaguchi Mari in April 2005 and later Fujimoto Miki in May 2007), would publish photos showing Kago Ai breaking the law by smoking while underage.

The photos were taken at a restaurant in the Ebisu neighborhood of Shibuya (Tokyo) on the night of 27 January 2006, ten days before her 18th birthday. [1] The minimum age for smoking and drinking in Japan is 20, and such violations by idols are considered especially serious.

The story was soon confirmed by Up-Front Agency (UFA), and Kago was immediately suspended from work for an unspecified period.

The photos and accompanying article were published on 10 February 2006.

FRIDAY reported that Kago went to the restaurant with a man and two other women. She was pictured with her friend Samejima Reena, who works as a model, and a man said to be 高橋和義 (Takahashi Kazuyoshi), a representative of ZACC.

Japan's Smoking Laws

Japan's national law regarding restricted substance use by minors reads as follows:

Alcohol, etc.
47. In Japan, the Law for Prohibiting Liquors to Minors prohibits anyone under 20 full years of age to drink and the Law for Prohibiting Smoking to Minors prohibits them to smoke. These laws prescribe the prevention of minors from drinking and smoking, etc. as the duty of persons in parental authority.
Additionally, the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement and Entertainment Businesses prohibits providing alcohol or cigarettes for anyone under 20 years of age in the place of entertainment and amusement businesses and other entertainment-related businesses (see Note below) or restaurant businesses. [2]

Details of Suspension

When Hello! Project announced Kago's suspension, they did not give any specific duration. However, Kago was removed from all previously scheduled work through August 2006, including:

  • Official H!P shops suspended sales of all merchandise featuring Kago Ai (e.g., official pictures);
  • Pacific Heaven, a fan club event with W and Ayaka on February 11th, canceled;
  • W's scheduled appearance at the Tokamachi snow festival on February 18th canceled by the organizers;
  • W's seventh single Dou ni mo Tomaranai, due to be released on March 8th, canceled; [3]
  • W's third album W3: faithful, due to be released on March 15th, canceled; [4]
  • W's fanclub tour of Hawaii at the end of March 2006, canceled;

Life After Suspension, and Rumors of Comeback

In their July 2006 edition, FLASH magazine reported Kago to be enjoying her time off in her hometown of Nara, an hour east of Osaka, where she helped with household chores, took her younger brother to school, and generally led a normal life. This was the first time that Kago was photographed after the scandal broke five months earlier.

The photos showed that Kago had lost weight and acquired a more mature appearance. Also, townspeople interviewed by the magazine said that she seemed happy but was somewhat self-conscious when in public.

As for rumors about Kago's comeback to Hello! Project, most fans expected her to return sometime after Ribbon no Kishi finished its run in August 2006. Another rumor said that Tsunku would make an announcement about her future with Hello! Project during his visit to Nara in September 2006. Neither rumor proved to be true.

During the 14 October 2006 edition of Young Town Doyoubi (a weekly radio show), host Sanma Akashiya asked Fujimoto Miki and Takahashi Ai for news about Kago. Takahashi bluntly said "Aibon is coming back," but Fujimoto tried to correct Takahashi by saying "We don't know." [7]

On 29 November 2006, Tower Records Japan posted pre-release information for Morning Musume's tenth anniversary single. This single was scheduled to be released in conjunction with the Hello! Project 2007 Winter ~Shuuketsu! 10th Anniversary~ concert tour. A reviewer comment posted on the Tower Records page claimed that the single would feature a superunit of both current and graduated Morning Musume members, including Kago Ai. The comment was quickly deleted, but not before it sparked renewed excitement and debate in the fan community about the possibility of Kago's return. This proved to be speculation, although it was later revealed that Kago did work back stage at the concert.

Comeback Interview in FRIDAY Magazine

In the 9 March 2007 issue of FRIDAY (the same magazine that originally broke the scandal), Kago appeared in an all new interview to discuss what she had been doing for the past year and to announce that a comeback was indeed being considered. Up-Front Agency (UFA) apparently sanctioned the interview, as it took place in their Tokyo offices where Kago has been working as a receptionist since 23 January 2007. [8]

Several new pictures of Kago — taken as she walked to work and during the interview itself — showed that she had further matured and lost a significant amount of weight.

Highlights from the interview included:

  • Kago: "I feel bad about how I betrayed the fans, especially the youngest ones. It still feels rough, even after one year. I lived by the motto 'Let things flow' until now, but I realized that doesn't work in the real world. My aim is to be positive and work hard from now on. I don't know when it will be possible, but I really want to sing again."
  • She is working in the agency office because UFA want her to regain her self-confidence, and to help her to start over from scratch by learning how the company works. She answers phones, serves tea to visitors, and studies kanji so that she can read newspapers and look up information.
  • She spent the year of her suspension living with her family in Nara and doing household chores. She learned to cook, clean and do laundry, and she discovered that she enjoys such work. She was so busy that she didn't even have time to visit friends, and she was often afraid to leave the house. She recently moved back to Tokyo and is cooking for herself, including making her own bentou box lunch every day.
  • Tsuji brought a cake to the office for Kago's 19th birthday, and they did the "W desu!" pose together for the first time in over a year.
  • UFA: "Last year's incident was very serious, so we had Kago stay in 'house arrest' in Nara for almost one year. We checked up to see if she learned from it, and talked to her parents, and now we let her come back to Tokyo. Fans and ordinary people might think we are underestimating this, but by observing her behavior and taking into account that she's already 19 years old, we decided to start preparing for her comeback. But as for exact dates or details, these are unsettled yet."

New Scandal in Weekly Gendai

On 24 March 2007, Weekly Gendai — another gossip tabloid — published new photos of Kago visiting the Kusatsu Onsen hot springs resort with Ishimoto Yasuyuki (37), a Shibuya nightclub manager and low-budget movie producer. [9] The photos taken on 18 March showed Kago and Ishimoto walking together, holding hands, and riding together in a car. The accompanying article said that the two were alone together at the resort, but that when they were later confronted by paparazzi, they claimed to be cousins attending a family function. [10]

The article also said that Kago was seen smoking in the car, but there were no photos to verify it.

When asked for comment, Up-Front Agency (UFA) told Weekly Gendai: "We heard he is one of Kago's close friends. But if it's true that she spent the night (with him), she would be acting imprudently."

Termination from Up-Front Agency

On 26 March 2007, Up-Front Agency (UFA) posted a notice on the Hello! Project Web site [11] confirming the Weekly Gendai story as reported and announcing that the agency had decided to terminate Kago's contract:

To whom it may concern:
Regarding our client Kago Ai and the article in the weekly magazine that went on sale on March 26th, the information in the article has been verified with Kago herself, to our regret.
One year ago, when Kago was 17 and the smoking problem happened, we still considered her future in this company, and as punishment, she was imposed to house arrest in her parents' home. Seeing how she had progressed over that year, it was decided to start from scratch and start preparing for a comeback by bringing her to Tokyo and having her do clerical and other office duties, starting on January 23rd. Although this worked out well for two months, there was another incident and the comeback plan was abandoned. After consulting with the family, as she is a minor, it has been confirmed, and she has been released from her contract.
We're very sorry that it has come to this, and accept full responsibility.
We feel a renewed sense of responsibility for the future, especially when it comes to minors.
2007/3/26
Up Front Agency
Kawaguchi Yuukichi, Representative Director

Translation provided by Hello! Online. [12]

Additional Sources

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