Hanada Aoi, a 19th-generation AKB48 member, co-hosted Bunka Hoso's Wednesday-night radio program 'AKB48 Ito Momoka to Hanada Aoi no Hito Hana Sakasetai!' alongside fellow member Ito Momoka. The show, which aired in the early hours, carried both members' names in its title.
On June 23, 2026, DH announced the termination of Hanada's exclusive contract — the first termination in the group's history. The company cited repeated lateness since December 2025, a discovered private connection with a specific fan (Hanada said they met 'twice by chance', while the company said interviews showed multiple meetings), her refusal of talks about returning, and a dispute over her claim that the company had made her cut her hair; the company denied that. In a video statement the same day, she said she had privately met a fan and held hands on the street.
Bunka Hoso did not wait. On June 25, two days after the termination, the station announced Hanada would leave the program 'due to various circumstances', and apologized. From July, the show was renamed 'AKB48 Ito Momoka no Hito Hana Sakasetai!', with Ito Momoka as the host and two other 19th-generation members, Okumoto Kairi and Kawamura Yui, rotating as guests.
The station gave no independent reason of its own — the operator's termination announcement was sufficient. A program built around two named talents lost one of them, and the title, format and billing all had to change mid-run.
Renamed the show around the remaining host within two days, swapping in rotating guests, because the operator's termination left no wait-and-see option.
The termination was public and definitive — the first in AKB48's history — so a station hosting her had no wait-and-see option left.
The show was branded with her name: the program title carried both hosts, so the fix had to be a rename rather than a quiet swap.
Speed mattered more than explanation: the station announced the change within 48 hours, citing only 'various circumstances', and rebuilt the lineup around the remaining host.
A management termination is a brand event: Bunka Hoso moved two days after AKB48's announcement. When a talent's own company cuts them loose, every booking that features them becomes a liability.
On June 25, 2026, Bunka Hoso announced Hanada Aoi would leave the radio program 'AKB48 Ito Momoka to Hanada Aoi no Hito Hana Sakasetai!' 'due to various circumstances', two days after AKB48 operator DH announced the termination of her exclusive contract — the first such termination in the group's history, citing repeated lateness, a private connection with a specific fan, and her refusal of talks about returning. From July the show was renamed 'AKB48 Ito Momoka no Hito Hana Sakasetai!', hosted by Ito Momoka with 19th-generation members Okumoto Kairi and Kawamura Yui rotating as guests.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE