On February 2nd, AKB48’s Minegishi Minami attended a handshake event held at Makuhari Messe. This was her first appearance in front of fans after shaving her head on January 31st because of a tabloid magazine’s report.
According to fans who attended the event, Minegishi appeared on the platform during afternoon, and said, ”I am extremely sorry for taking thoughtless action as an AKB48 member,” then bowed for about 15 seconds. Regarding her shaved head, she commented, “I did not do it to be forgiven. I wanted to regain everyone’s trust, and to start again from the beginning.”
Reportedly, many fans who attended the handshake event, requested to the management, “We have felt Mii-chan’s good faith, so we request to take the YouTube video down.” When AKB group theater general manager Togasaki Tomonobu told Minegishi about the fans’ requests, she responded with, “I’m full of gratitude for the voices from the fans.” Considering the fans’ and Minegishi’s thoughts, Minegishi’s apology video that was posted on AKB48’s official YouTube channel has been taken down on the night of the 2nd.
On AKB48’s official blog, Togasaki commented, “Though Minegishi’s sense of apology will not disappear until she regains the trust from you fans, please continue to support Minegishi Minami, and AKB48.”
Source: tokyohive