First Co-Appearance in 9 Years Since NMB48! Kei Jonishi & Rei — This Week’s Cover Girls Reveal What’s on Their Minds

The Ideal Belly Button

——It’s been a while since the two of you appeared together in a gravure shoot as sisters, hasn’t it?

Kei: “It’s our second time, and the first in nine years. Both my sister and I came from NMB48, but we overlapped in the group for less than a year, so we rarely got to work together. I’m really happy we were given this opportunity!”

Rei: “Nine years ago, I had just joined NMB, so I remember being nervous the whole time. I always hoped we could do something together again someday, so it feels like, ‘It’s finally here~!’”

Kei: “It’s actually been two years since I last did gravure. At this point my little sister has more experience than I do, so this time she was the one leading me along.”

——Rei, apparently you couldn’t stop staring at Kei’s belly button?

Rei: “Kei-chan’s belly button is my ideal shape. The vertical line is really beautiful, and her abs are gorgeous too. We often bathe together or go to saunas, and secretly I’ve always been curious about her belly button. This time I got to really take a good look at it (laughs).”

Kei: “Whenever we take a bath together, I’m always surprised by how big my sister’s bust is. Yet her waist is still so slim—she really has that perfect curvy figure. I still can’t shake the image of bathing my little sister when she was young, but when I look at her objectively now, I think, ‘Wow, what an amazing body.’”

Rei: “But Kei-chan is super slim too, with the kind of figure girls admire. When I stand next to her, I worry that I’ll look fat by comparison (laughs).”

——It’s been a year since you graduated from NMB48, Rei. What has this past year been like?

Rei: “Back in NMB48, I approached every job with the mindset of doing it for the group. But now I have to think in terms of doing things for myself. The work that left the biggest impression on me was cosplay. I’ve been into it for about six years, but it was always just a small hobby. After graduating from NMB48, I decided to really commit to it and attended Comiket for the first time last summer. Since then, I’ve started getting cosplay-related work too, and it became a year of rediscovering what I truly love.

But right after graduating, I gained weight really quickly—I had put on about 8 kilograms by the end of last year. I realized that was bad, so I lost weight through things like Pilates, and now I’m back to my NMB-era weight.”

Kei: “I also gained 5 kilograms right after graduating in 2017. Seeing my sister go down the same path made me feel both happy and relieved (laughs). Back when she was in NMB48, even if I invited her out to eat, she hardly ate anything. I worried about her health. After graduating and seeing her eat normally again, I felt relieved.”

——Returning to work talk, Kei, you’ve mainly been active in acting, right?

Kei: “Since becoming an actress has been my dream since childhood, I’m studying every day. Right now I want to try all kinds of roles, but someday I’d love to appear in a yakuza film. Back in my NMB48 days, we shot a music video with a yakuza-movie-like atmosphere, and I’ve admired that world ever since. I want to play a powerful woman who delivers sharp, forceful lines in Kansai dialect.”

Rei: “I’d like to try voice acting for anime. People sometimes compliment me by saying, ‘Your voice is cute, so you’d be suited for it,’ but I still haven’t had the chance to do it yet. Someday I’d really like to try.”

Alcohol and Sunsun

Rei: “Probably her leadership. Back during our NMB days, the way Ei-chan led the younger members left a really strong impression on me. I just think she’s an incredibly cool woman.”

——If you could switch appearances or positions, what would you want to do?

Megumi: “No matter where I go, I always end up taking on the big-sister role, so I’d like to become the younger-sister type and be spoiled by someone for once (laughs).”

Rei: “I’d work harder on makeup and fashion and fully embrace the elegant older-sister image.”

——Do you have a message for your fans?

Megumi: “After nine years, the Jonishi sisters’ gravure reunion has finally come true. I’d be happy if everyone could help hype it up on social media and elsewhere. Your support truly gives us strength!”

Rei: “Even though we look alike because we’re sisters, I hope everyone also enjoys the differences between us!”

Jonishi Kei, 31 years old / Rei, 24 years old
From Shiga Prefecture.
Older sister Megumi debuted in NMB48 in 2010 and, after graduating in 2017, has been active as an actress.
Younger sister Rei debuted in NMB48 in 2016 and, after graduating in 2025, is now active as a gravure idol and fashion model.

Recent Favorite Dishes
Spice curry / Salt ramen

Megumi: “I’ve been really into making spice curry lately. Since I love alcohol and often drink, I tend to focus on healthy food. I’m conscious about being gluten-free, and I enjoy adjusting spices like cumin and turmeric myself.”

Rei: “I used to dislike ramen, but I got over it after my sister took me to a tomato ramen shop in Osaka. Now I like salt ramen. Since getting my driver’s license, I’ve been enjoying late-night ramen runs by driving around—something I couldn’t do during my NMB48 days.”

From the April 17/24, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”