is a Japanese ''

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in the United States were descri ...

'',

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

radio personality A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

and former

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

. She is the former captain of idol group

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 ...

, represented by

Sony Music Records , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

Career

Sakurazaka46

On August 21, 2015, Sugai along with 22 other members were announced for the newly created idol group, Toriizaka46, renamed shortly after into Keyakizaka46 and again into

in 2020. Her nicknames include and , the latter referring to her persona. Sugai made her musical debut with Keyakizaka46's first single,

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 ...

. As of February 2019, she has participated in all eight of Keyakizaka46's singles. She is also part of the subgroup along with

Risa Watanabe is a Japanese fashion model and former idol. She is an exclusive model for the women's magazine ''non-no'' and a former member of the female Japanese idol group Sakurazaka46. Biography On August 21, 2015, Watanabe passed the audition for Keya ...

Akane Moriya is a Japanese singer and model. She is a former member and vice captain of the idol girl group Sakurazaka46. Like other members, Moriya is represented by Sony Music Labels. Biography Born in Miyagi Prefecture, Moriya passed her first-year membe ...

, Manaka Shida, and

Rika Watanabe is a former member of the female Japanese idol group Sakurazaka46. She also serves as a regular model for the female fashion magazine ''LARME'' since July 2017 and an exclusive model for the female fashion magazine ' since November 2017. Like o ...

. As part of the subunit, Sugai made center appearances in three songs: "Aozora Chigau" in " Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai", "Wareta Sumaho" in "

Fukyōwaon is the 4th single by Japanese idol girl group Keyakizaka46. It was released on 5 April 2017. It reached number-one on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart with 632,667 copies sold. It was also number-one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. "Fukyōwaon ...

, and "Namiuchigiwa o Hashiranai ka?" in "

Kaze ni Fukarete mo is the fifth single by Japanese girl group Keyakizaka46. It was released on October 25, 2017, by Sony Music Japan. Track listing All lyrics written by Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best know ...

". Additionally, Sugai made two song appearances as part of Sakamichi AKB (坂道AKB), a group made of various

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

and Sakamichi members. She will also be included in Sakamichi AKB's next song. During a handshake event on January 21, 2017, Sugai was named the captain of Keyakizaka46. Akane Moriya was named co-captain on the same day. On April 11, 2018,

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

announced that they will be publishing a

photo-book A photo book or photobook is a book in which photographs make a significant contribution to the overall content. A photo book is related to and also often used as a coffee table book. Early Early photo books are characterized by their use o ...

featuring Sugai that was photographed in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. She became the fourth member in Keyakizaka46 to have a photobook, behind

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 ...

, Yui Imaizumi, and

. The photo-book, titled ''Fiancé'' (フィアンセ), was the bestselling photo-book in Japan for three weeks in a row. On August 22, 2022, Sugai announced that she will be leaving Sakurazaka46 after the Tokyo Dome performances on November 8 and 9, the final leg of the national tour that will begin in September that year. Second generation member Rina Matsuda succeeded her as captain.

Equestrianism

Sugai started

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...

in 5th grade. She has won numerous awards in various junior national competitions, particularly in

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

. She often discusses horse riding in her appearances with Sakurazaka46, which contributes to her established persona in the group. On June 7, 2017, Sugai was appointed the Special Ambassador for the , in order to broaden the appeal of the sport. She left the position in the end of 2021.

Awards

The table below lists Sugai's top three finishes in equestrian competitions recognized by the Japan Equestrian Federation.

Post-Sakurazaka46

On November 24, 2022, Sugai opened a

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account. Her first post-Sakurazaka46 activity was an acting role in the stage play '' Neo Bakumatsu Junjoden'', which ran from January 28 to February 19, 2023. On February 12, 2023, Sugai's official website was launched. On the same day, she was announced as a host for the horseback racing program Keiba Beat . On March 30, 2023, Sugai made her debut as a radio personality, hosting her own radio show "Yūka Sugai's #KyouMoOshiToGanbariki" . On November 15, 2023, it was announced that Sugai would play the lead role of Itsuki Harumoto in the upcoming drama '' Chaser Game W Pawahara Jōshi wa Watashi no Moto-Kano (Chaser Game W: My Evil Boss is My Ex-Girlfriend)''. On November 29, 2023, her 28th birthday, Sugai announced via Instagram her transfer to the talent agency Top Coat.

Personal life

Sugai was born on November 29, 1995, in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. As a child, she had 11 years of ballet experience. As of March 2018, Sugai has graduated from

Gakushuin University is a private university in Mejiro, Toshima, Tokyo. The Gakushūin (or "Peers School") was established during the Meiji period to educate the children of the Japanese nobility, but back then the institution had only the primary and secondary ...

. She was a member and then manager of the equestrian club.

Discography

Keyakizaka46

Sakamichi AKB

Filmography

Film

*''Kaiju Guy!'' (2025), Mai Yoshida *''True Beauty: Before'' (2025), Aimi Kawashima *''True Beauty: After'' (2025), Aimi Kawashima

Television

*'' Happy Kanako's Killer Life'' (2025), Kiyomi Yoshioka * ''Toyotomi Brothers!'' (2026),

Maeda Matsu , also known as Omatsu no Kata (お松の方) (1547–1617), was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat of the 16th century. She was the wife of Maeda Toshiie, who founded the Kaga Domain. Matsu had a reputation for intelligence; she was skilled at ...

References

External links

Top Coat official profile
(since November 29, 2023) * (since January 11, 2022) * (since November 24, 2022) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sugai, Yuka 1995 births Living people Japanese actresses Japanese female equestrians Japanese idols Keyakizaka46 members Musicians from Tokyo Sakurazaka46 members 21st-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese sportswomen