Abiru Yu’s Delayed Horipro Departure Raises Concerns Amid Controversies

“As of December 31, 2023, I have left my agency Horipro after 24 years.”

On July 4th, the talent Abiru Yu announced on her Instagram that she had departed from her agency of 24 years, Horipro, at the end of last year. 

“I left Horipro on good terms. I had been with them since I was 15 years old, and they supported me through ups and downs, helping me grow. I am filled with gratitude for Horipro, everyone at Horipro, the staff who supported me during my 23 years of activity, and all those who cheered for me.”

And expressed her gratitude.

She plans to continue her career independently from now on.

Abiru debuted in the entertainment industry in 2001 as an assistant “Ohagirl” on “Oha Sta” (TV Tokyo). In 2014, she married the martial artist Kizaemon Saiga, and the following year, in 2015, they had a daughter. However, they divorced in 2019. There was a custody battle over their daughter, and Abiru eventually gained custody, but currently, their daughter lives with Saiga. 

On May 5th, Abiru posted a photo from her daughter’s early childhood on Instagram.

“I haven’t forgotten a single minute, second, or day since I was separated from Mom,” (excerpt).

and she posted a loving tribute celebrating her daughter’s birthday as a devoted mother.

“I gave birth to my second daughter in February 2022 while in a custody battle for my eldest daughter. I haven’t revealed who the father is, only describing him as ‘a friend’s friend’ on TV. Unlike my first daughter, I seem to have left my second child in my parents’ care and am not raising her myself.

 

On Instagram, there are many photos of me traveling with a man tagged as ‘#almosthusband’ and lots of lively photos. It seems like I’m not working. In this industry, you can’t work without going through an agency. So, what did she do for half a year?”(newspaper reporter)

It cannot be denied that Abiru has navigated through the entertainment industry with the support of the major agency “Horipro.” In 2005, Abe appeared on the variety show “Coming Out” (NTV).

“It seems like a group of people snuck into the store’s warehouse, continuously stealing boxes of food and drinks, then distributing them to friends or others. They kept this up for about six months until the store went out of business. It sounds like the store wasn’t really viable. It ended up closing down.”

And this led to a huge backlash after bragging about their past criminal activities. 

“In this matter, she only took a two-month hiatus and returned, and in 2007, she starred in a horror movie. She acknowledges the support she received from her agency seniors like ‘Sama~zu’ and Akiko Wada, allowing her to appear on their shows.

However, now that she has lost the big backing of Horipro by going independent, there may be few industry insiders willing to actively cast her. Especially on TV, her image of being troublesome could make it tough for her, don’t you think?” (Entertainment industry insider)

It remains to be seen if she can indeed find new opportunities to shine again.