Kyōko Saitō
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is a Japanese actress, singer, model, and television presenter, represented by
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
. She is a former regular model for the fashion magazine ''ar'' and former member of the
Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese popular culture, Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idol ...
group
Hinatazaka46 is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was established as a subgroup of Sakurazaka46, Keyakizaka46 named Hiragana Keyakizaka46 on 30 November 2015, and was renamed and spun off into its own group on 11 February 2019. ...
. Her fans are known as the .


Career


Music

Saitō had aspired to become a singer since middle school. She attempted and failed multiple singing auditions until she tried out for Keyakizaka46's subgroup Hiragana Keyakizaka46 (renamed to
Hinatazaka46 is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was established as a subgroup of Sakurazaka46, Keyakizaka46 named Hiragana Keyakizaka46 on 30 November 2015, and was renamed and spun off into its own group on 11 February 2019. ...
in 2019) after she learned that Yui Imaizumi, whom she had met at one of the previous auditions, was a Keyakizaka46 member. Her musical career began on 11 May 2016 when she passed the auditions, which was hosted on the streaming platform
Showroom A plumbing fixture showroom, Canada, 1921 A showroom is a large space used to display products or show entertainment. Marketing location A showroom is a large space used to display products for sale, such as automobiles, furniture, appliances ...
. Saitō, along with ten other people that passed the audition, joined
Neru Nagahama is a Japanese television personality, television presenter, and actress. She is a former member of the idol girl groups Keyakizaka46 and Hiragana Keyakizaka46 and current chairperson of the Tokyo Idol Festival. Nagahama joined Keyakizaka46 i ...
in Hiragana Keyakizaka46 and was known as the "first generation". Her first concert occurred on 28 October of the same year at Akasaka Blitz, where she performed Kanji Keyakizaka46's songs "
Silent Majority The silent majority is an unspecified large group of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly. The term was popularized by U.S. President Richard Nixon in a televised address on November 3, 1969, in which he said, "A ...
" and " Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai", as well as Hiragana Keyakizaka46's own "Hiragana Keyaki". During her time at Hiragana Keyakizaka46, Saitō participated in every single between "Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai" and "
Kuroi Hitsuji is the 8th single from Japanese idol group Keyakizaka46. It was released on February 27, 2019, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The title track features Yurina Hirate as center. The single was announced on January 14, 2019. The song wa ...
". She is the center (lead performer) for the song "Soredemo Aruiteru", a
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
for the single " Kaze ni Fukarete mo", and performed a solo song on the group's first album''
Hashiridasu Shunkan is the first album by Japanese idol girl group Hiragana Keyakizaka46. It was released on 20 June 2018. The album reached the top position on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart. It also reached number one on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot Albums Chart. ...
'', titled . After Hiragana Keyakizaka46 was renamed into Hinatazaka46, Saitō has also participated in every single and album until her departure. She also performed in the song "Hatsukoi Door", a B-side of " Jiwaru Days" performed by Sakamichi AKB, a collaboration between members of
AKB48 Group , or AKB48 sister groups, shortened to 48 Group or 48g, refers to the sister groups of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. Based on the same concept "idols you can meet", it currently consists of five sister groups in locations across Japan and ...
and
Sakamichi Series refers to a Japanese idol group franchise that began with Nogizaka46, an "official" rival group of AKB48. It currently consists of four groups: Nogizaka46, Sakurazaka46, Hinatazaka46, and Yoshimotozaka46. Despite the name, the groups are n ...
. In June 2020, Saitō announced that the name of her fandom would be , a combination between her nickname Kyonko and . On May 18, 2022, Saitō performed " Boku Nanka" on the
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel ''
The First Take ''The First Take'' (stylized as ''THE F1RST TAKE'') is a Japanese YouTube channel that invites singers to perform a song recorded in one take in a white studio. ''The First Take'' is a trademark of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Concept The ...
''. It was the first solo performance by a Hinatazaka46 member, and the third one by the group, on the channel. The song was rearranged with piano and strings to showcase her voice, and she commented that she projected her own insecurities into her performance. On September 10, 2022, during the first performance of Hinatazaka46's nationwide tour "Happy Smile Tour 2022" at Aichi Sky Expo, Hinatazaka46's eighth single " Tsuki to Hoshi ga Odoru Midnight" was announced for release on October 26, 2022, with Saitō as the center (lead performer), and the title song was performed live for the first time. It would be the first time in 5 years for Saitō to hold the center position since " Soredemo Aruiteru", first released in 2017, and the first time as the center for a title song. Aside from Hinatazaka46, Saitō and the comedienne Hiccorohee, her co-host on the talk show ''Kyoccorohee'', released their debut single under the name Kyoccorohee, "After You!", digitally on January 1, 2024, and as physical media on February 14. The main song, written by Hinatazaka46 lyricist
Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, ma ...
, was first revealed live on ''
Music Station , stylised in all caps, is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently sy ...
Superlive 2023'' on December 22, 2023. Saitō also wrote the lyrics for her solo
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
song on the single. The music video is published on Hinatazaka46's YouTube channel and is the first song on the channel to be performed by a non-member. On January 11, 2024, Saitō announced that she would leave Hinatazaka46 on April 5. Her "graduation" concert was held on the same day at the
Yokohama Stadium is a baseball stadium in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and has a capacity of 34,046 people. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The stadium features dirt around the bases an ...
, which was also the day before Hinatazaka46's 2-day 5th Hinatansai anniversary concert at the same venue. Her final participation on a Hinatazaka46 music release was for the 11th single, " Kimi wa Honeydew", serving as the center for the B-side .


Modeling

From 2019 to 2024, Saitō was a regular model for the fashion magazine ''ar''. Saitō's solo photobook, titled , was released on January 19, 2021. It was produced by ''ar'' magazine's editorial team with the concept of "dating at various locations in Tokyo". The initial print run was 115,000 copies, and a total of 40,000 additional copies were reprinted within its release week. The book placed first in
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
's photobook sales ranking for its release week with an estimated 84,000 copies sold and was third place with 135,119 copies sold in that year's annual photobook ranking, which saw the top three ranks dominated by Hinatazaka46 with Nao Kosaka's photobook on first and the group's ''Hinasatsu Vol. 01'' on second.


Acting

Saitō made her acting debut in the Hiragana Keyakizaka46 television drama '' Re:Mind'' (2017), and also appeared in the Hinatazaka46 drama '' Dasada'' (2020). She co-starred in the 2021 television drama adaptation of the Tetsuya Honda novel , which features selected members of
Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the "official rival" of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshim ...
,
Sakurazaka46 , formerly , is a Japanese idol girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was created on August 21, 2015, becoming Nogizaka46's first sister group under the Sakamichi Series. The group was rebranded as Sakurazaka46 after their last conce ...
, and Hinatazaka46 co-starring in a television drama for the first time, and its 2023 sequel ''Actress''. In 2023, she appeared in her first solo lead role in the television drama adaptation of the manga ''Nukarumi no Shokutaku'', and also did her first feature film dubbing work for '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'', as April O'Neil. In 2019, Saitō played high school student Wakame Isono in the stage adaptation of the manga ''
Sazae-san is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' manga series written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the ''Asahi Shimbun'' wished to have Hasegawa draw the four-panel comic for ...
'', which ran from September to October. She shared the role with Nogizaka46 member Manatsu Akimoto. In May 2024, after her departure from Hinatazaka46, Saitō announced that she has signed with the
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
Entertainment talent agency and intended to further pursue acting. In 2025, the film , directed by Koji Fukada with Saitō as lead actress, was selected for the Cannes Premiere section at the
2025 Cannes Film Festival The 78th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 13 to 24 May 2025. French actress Juliette Binoche served as jury president for the main competition. Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the drama ...
. She attended the premiere on May 22, her first appearance at an international film festival.


Other ventures

Saitō is a
ramen is a Chinese noodle dish popularized in Japan. It includes served in several flavors of broth. Common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen h ...
enthusiast, inspired by the manga and anime series '' Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles'', and her catchphrase is . She is featured in a 2018 television special titled after her catchphrase, in which several members take her to their recommended ramen restaurants. In April 2019, she became an ambassador for the 2019 Ramen Girls Expo in Shizuoka. In February 2021, she was appointed as the "Jjigae Miso Angel" by the ramen chain Hidakaya for her fondness of their Jjigae
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae''), and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spreads; p ...
ramen. In 2023, the
cup noodle A cup noodle is an instant ramen product in a disposable cup, first developed in 1971 and manufactured by the Japanese food company Nissin Foods. The product was first introduced in the United States as "Cup O' Noodles" in 1972, before being re ...
brand CupStar, in whose commercials Hinatazaka46 had previously appeared, released a Hidakaya Jjigae Miso Ramen limited edition product, with Saitō's likeness featured on the lid. Saitō is also known for her proficiency in the
language game A language game (also called a cant, secret language, ludling, or argot) is a system of manipulating spoken words to render them incomprehensible to an untrained listener. Language games are used primarily by groups attempting to conceal their ...
. She often demonstrated this ability in
variety shows Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compè ...
, with fellow member
Kumi Sasaki is a Japanese television presenter. She is a former founding member and captain of Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46 and former exclusive model for the fashion magazine ''Ray''. Career Music Sasaki's musical career began on 11 May 2016, when ...
serving as "interpreter". On April 1, 2021, the late-night dance talk show ', co-hosted by Saitō and comedienne , started airing on
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
. Since then, live events based on the show have been held in 2022 at the EX Theater Roppongi and in 2023 at the
Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Toky ...
, Hall A. According to Saitō, the show's appeal lies in having long-winded conversations between two women who are "not on the same wavelength".


Filmography


Film


Television series


Variety show


Discography


Songs from Keyakizaka46's singles and albums


Hiragana Keyakizaka46


Albums


Hinatazaka46


Singles


Albums


Videography


= Video albums

=


Kyoccorohee


Sakamichi AKB


Solo concerts

* MTV Live Sessions: Kyoko Saito from Hinatazaka46 (broadcast only, June 5, 2022) * MTV Unplugged Presents: Kyoko Saito from Hinatazaka46 ( Pia Arena MM, May 21, 2023)


Bibliography


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saito, Kyoko Japanese idols Hinatazaka46 members Japanese female models Musicians from Tokyo 1997 births Living people 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers Japanese women television presenters