AKB48’s Iwasa Misaki announces her graduation during her first solo concert on January 30th, 2016. Here is an English translation of her announcement and commentary.

During her first ever solo concert in her career as an enka singer, Iwasa Misaki (as known as “Wasamin”), announced her graduation. Coincidentally (or perhaps not so?), January 30th is also Wasamin’s 21st birthday.

Here is a complete transcript and English translation of the announcement:

Umm, what was I going to say?  I thought about what I was going to say.  Thinking about doing something, and doing and saying something different — I think that’s just now I am. (えっと。なんだっかなー。話すこと考えてきたんですけどね。やろうと思ってることと違うことをやっちゃったり、違うことを言っちゃったり、でもそれが私らしかなとも思っています。)

Today is my very first solo concert and, you know, if there’s a second time, I’d be extremely happy. If you think you’d come again for that second concert, I’d be really happy but, everyone, do you think you’d come again? (今日ははじめてのコンサートをやらせていただいたんですけども、またですね、２回目があったらすごくうれしいなと思いますし、また来てみたいなと思ってもらえたらうれしいなと思いますが、みなさんまた来てくださいますか？)

Thank you very much! Thanks to all of you, you’ve allowed to realize another dream of mine. (ありがとうございます。みなさんのおかげで、またひとつ、夢を叶えさせていただきました)

I really think that I’ve borrowed your strength, and that has allowed me to realize many dreams (これからもみなさんのお力を借りながら、いろんな夢を叶えていきたいなと思ってます)

There’s something else though. I think I might have said that I’m always really strict on myself, but there’s one more decidion that I’ve made (そのなかでですね、やっぱり自分に厳しくとさっき言ったと思うんですけど、ひとつ、自分の中で決めたことがあります)

I, Iwasa Misaki, will graduate from AKB48
私、岩佐美咲はAKB48を卒業します。

Yes, seriously (マジっす).

This is really, you know… um, I really didn’t want to cry, but… honestly… I know that because I’m part of AKB there have been a lot of people who supported me.  I know it will be really hard on myself.  Even so, my desire to pursue the path of just an enka singer has grown very strong.  This is the decision I’ve come to as I  sang enka and other songs each and every day (これは本当にね、やっぱり、あの、まあ泣きたくなかったんですけど、やっぱり、ね、AKBだから応援してくださってる方が本当に多数だっていうのはわかってますし、厳しいのは自分でもわかっているんですけど、でもそれでも自分で演歌の道で、一本でやっていきたいという、意志が本当に歌わせていただくたびに強くなっていてですね、演歌・歌謡曲を日に日に歌っていくなかで、こういった決断をさせていただきました)

At a handshake event, I was messing around, and said things like, “If I quit, what will you do?”  I then said, “If I quit, will you continue to support me?” to someone, and he said, “Uh, well, not really….” (「私がやめたらどうする？」ってふざけて握手会で言うと、「やめても応援してくれる？」って言ったときに、「や、それはちょっと」って言う人がいたんですよ)

No, no, that’s not funny!  Really, from the time I quit AKB, this is the real start line, and you’re support will become really vital.  So, I’d be very happy if you supported me and continue to do so (いや、笑えませんて。本当に。AKBをやめてからこそ、本当にスタートラインですし、みなさまの応援が本当に必要になるので、ぜひ、これからも応援してくださったらうれしいです。これからもよろしくお願いします)

This might be, “Goodbye” to those fans who supported me because I was part of AKB.  But I really think that you’ll have more opportunities to be able to meet me.  So for me, really, like a “weekend heroine”, I think I’ll doing all sorts of events (AKBだから応援してくださるという方には、今日でさよならの方もいるかもしれないんですけど、逆に会いに行ける機会が増えると思うので、私に関しては、本当にね、週末ヒロインみたいな感じで毎週たぶんどこかしらでイベントをやっていると思いますので).

To the best of my ability, I’ll be doing my best.  For everything up until now, everyone, thank you very much (精一杯歌を磨いて頑張っていきたいと思います。本当にみなさん今日は最後までありがとうございます)

There might be a possibility that I’ve made some of you feel upset about this; to those who have had a change of heart, or who may not want to support me post-AKB, I’d be very happy if you watched today’s concert, became one of my supporters again, and left with a smile.  Thank you very much! )もしかしたらちょっと寂しい思いをさせてしまったかもしれないんですけども、ぜひ今日のコンサートを見て、心が変わったと、AKBやめたらちょっとな、と思った方も、今日見たら応援したくなったと、笑顔だよと思って思ってもらえたらうれしいです。ありがとうございます).

Lastly, I’d like to sing the debut song that decided my fate as an enka singer (最後は、私の演歌歌手としてのすべてが始まったデビュー曲を歌います).

Post-announcement, Wasamin sang her debut enka song, “Mujin Eki”.  As with recent graduation announcements, the timing has not been decided.

Iwasa Misaki became part of AKB48 in 2008 as part of its 7th generation.  In February 2012, she released her first single as an enka singer, titled, “Mujin Eki”.

In January, 2014, she released her third single, Tomonoura Bojo, which was able to take the #1 position on the Oricon single charts at the time — the first time in 4.5 years that an enka song was able to do so, and the first time in 27 years for an enka singer under 20 years old.