Ai Kago

Ai Kago (2009)

Ai Kago ( Japanese 加 護 亜 依 ; born February 7, 1988 in Nara Prefecture , Japan ) is a Japanese singer , actress and author . She became famous with the Idol - girl group Morning Musume . She is also a former record holder in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest spin in the hula hoop. Her record was broken in 2010. She was also the youngest girl to join Morning Musume for a long time, at twelve years and two months. Haruka Kudo broke this record in 2011, when she was just 11 years old. She is currently a member of the girl group Girls Beat

biography

Time in Hello! Project

In 2000, Kago became a member of the Morning Musume group. She quickly made friends with Tsuji Nozomi, who had joined the group at the same time. They became the group's “dream couple” and were inseparable, which is why they were often referred to as “twins”. In the same year, Kago became part of the newly founded Minimoni group and was added to Tanpopo as the second generation .

Kago quickly became a crowd favorite. However, she left the group with Nozomi in 2004 to form the Duo W (pronounced Double You ).

Scandals

On February 9, 2006, the Japanese tabloid Friday ( フ ラ イ デ ー ) published pictures showing Kago smoking. She was 18 years old at the time, but the age limit for smoking in Japan is 20 years. One day after this information, Kago was welcomed by the Hello! Project suspended "for an indefinite period" and placed under house arrest in her mother's home. Her arrest ended a year later and she reached out to Friday for an interview . In it she stated that she would like to continue with the music and move back to Tokyo. She also said that she had little contact with the other Morning Musume members at the time of her arrest and was not even recognized by some when she met them backstage at a concert. A year after her first scandal, on March 26, 2007, Kago was caught smoking again. However, one additional detail was particularly spicy, namely that she was allegedly having an affair with a married 38-year-old man. Up Front Agency , the agency behind the Hello! Project, announced her without notice. Shortly after this incident, an interview with Kago's mother, Aki Kago, was published.

In a 2008 interview, already under a different agency, a new interview with Kago was published via OhmyNews . In it, she said she started smoking because she felt mature enough but regrets it because she ignored the effect on her younger fans. In the meantime, however, she has stopped smoking. She also tells of her stay in Los Angeles, where she fled to after her dismissal because she felt like a "criminal" in Japan. It was also mentioned that she even had self-harm and suicidal thoughts . However, she has found courage and is preparing for a fresh start in the music industry. In another interview, she admitted that she was in a relationship with a producer when she was 13.

At the beginning of 2009, Kago's photo book Super Cargo came out. That alone caused a stir, as she posed very freely in some photos. In interviews, she also shared some details about her life as an idol and things from her childhood. Among other things, she mentioned how a friend of her mother's asked her to show him her breasts when she was 11. She also told of the tough everyday life of an idol and the strict Japanese show business .

Later that year another scandal was exposed again through Friday . Kago has a new affair, this time with her fellow actor Hidejiro Mizumoto. Her agency denied the rumor, but Mizumoto's wife, Asato, took the matter to court. She urged both damages from her husband and Kago and child support for their three children. The marriage of the two divorced before Friday's article , but the affair fell into the time of the marriage. As evidence, Asato had photographed Kago's underwear and other items. The court ruled her on May 24, 2009.

In June 2011 it was announced that her agency Kago MAINSTREAM Inc. had left. The agency confirmed this, but added that Kago's new significant other had played a large part in this, as she was allegedly completely under his control. Accordingly, she left the agency after disagreements. She had been working on a transfer since October 2010, the contract was terminated by her lawyer in November. Problematically, the contract was designed for two more years and Kago canceled the agreed dates. However, she denied the breach of contract on her blog. Her agency sued her in December 2011.

Kago's partner was arrested on November 8, 2011 on suspicion of being in contact with the Yakuza . This is a 44-year-old man named Haruhiko Andō. The couple is said to have been together since August 2011. Kago was also asked about her partner's contacts and was under public pressure again. Two days later, on November 11th, Kago was found in her home after attempting suicide. She was taken to a hospital and monitored for 24 hours. She had previously called her agency and given evidence of a suicide attempt.

Fresh start after the scandals

On December 20, 2011, Kago announced on her blog that she had married a long-time friend and was pregnant. Their daughter was born on June 21, 2012 and is named Minami. In 2013, Kago received positive attention again: She advertised a tea, changed agencies and announced that she was looking for colleagues for a new girl group. In 2014, the name of the group, Girls Beat , was announced. The group debuted on July 26th of the same year.

Discography

Albums

No.	title	transcription	date	Sales 1st week	Sales total	Charts
1	加 護 亜 依 ・ ミ ー ツ ・ ジ ャ ズ ～ ザ ・ フ ァ ー ス ト ・ ド ア ～	AI KAGO meets JAZZ ~ The first door ~	March 31, 2010	242	527	-

Singles

No.	transcription	date	Sales 1st week	Sales total	Charts
1	No hesitation	June 24, 2009	1.757	1.757	# 52

Publications

Books

• Kago Ai LIVE ~ Kago Ai no Miseinen Hakusho ( ＬＩＶＥ— 未成年 白 書 , August 24, 2008)

DVDs

• Kago Channel (DVD) (Vol.1) (November 28, 2008)
• Kago Channel (DVD) (Vol.2) (December 19, 2008)
• Gekkan Kago Ai - marionnette (February 20, 2009)
• Micchaku Kago Ai (February 20, 2009)
• Kago Ai VS. FRIDAY (DVD) ( 加 護 亜 依 VS. FRIDAY , October 25, 2009)
• LOS ANGELES (March 25, 2010)

Photo books

• KAGO ai: Go on the Journey! (November 22, 2003)
• Monthly Kago Ai - Super Cargo (March 8, 2009)
• Kago Ai Kinyōbi ( 金曜日 加 護 亜 依 写真 集 , August 27, 2009)
• Kago Ai Shashinshū LOS ANGELES ( 加 護 亜 依 写真 集 『LOS ANGELES』 , March 25, 2010)

Further appearances

Movies

• Benten-dôri no hitobito ( 弁 天 通 り の 人 々 / 邦 画 , 2009)
• Kung Fu Chiefs | Gong fu chu shen ( 功夫 廚神 , 2009)
• Ju-on: Kuroi Shōjo ( 呪 怨: 黒 い 少女 , 2009)
• Hana Oni ( 華 鬼 , 2009)
• Nikushokukei Joshi ( 肉食 系 女子 , 2010)
• The Haunting Lover (2010)

Doramas

• Tonsure ( ト ン ス ラ , 2008)
• Nihonshi Suspence Gekijō ( 日本史 サ ス ペ ン ス 劇場 , 2008)
• Ikemen Shin Sobaya Tantei ( イ ケ 麺 新 そ ば 屋 探 偵 , 2009)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kago Ai makes the first step in her return ( English ) In: hellproject.com . Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
2. ↑ Ex-Morning Musume member Kago Ai fired for smoking and dating old guys. (No longer available online.) In: japanprobe.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014 ; accessed on July 12, 2013 . 
3. ↑ Kago Ai's mother is interviewed; full article translation. In: Hello! On-line. Retrieved July 12, 2013 . 
4. ↑ Kago Ai new video interview! In: Hello! On-line. Retrieved July 12, 2013 . 
5. ↑ A Hello! Online special: Kago Ai's "Super Cargo" interview. In: Hello! On-line. Retrieved July 12, 2013 . 
6. ↑ Kago Ai in trouble yet again. (No longer available online.) In: helloyaunii.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016 ; accessed on July 12, 2013 . 
7. ^ Reports on Kago Ai's problem with her agency, new boyfriend, and Kago's refutation. In: tokyohive.com. Retrieved July 12, 2013 . 
8. ↑ 加 護 亜 依 「損害 額 は １ 億 ５ 千万 円」 で 所属 事務所 が 提 訴 【加 護 亜 依】. (No longer available online.) In: jisin.jp. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014 ; Retrieved July 12, 2013 (Japanese). 
9. ↑ The Yakuza Connection? In: Yahoo News. Retrieved July 12, 2013 . 
10. ↑ Kago Ai Suicide Attempt. In: japanichiban.com. Retrieved July 12, 2013 . 
11. ↑ Kago Ai suddenly announces marriage & pregnancy. In: tokyohive.com. Retrieved July 12, 2013 . 
12. ↑ Kago Ai to hold audition to form a new unit. In: tokyohive.com. Retrieved July 24, 2014 . 
13. ↑ Ai Kago Returns to the Idol World with J-pop Trio Girls Beat. In: nihongogo.com. Retrieved July 24, 2014 . 

Web links

• Official Blog (Japanese)
• Profile in the Internet Movie Database (English)