Shihori Suzuki quits AKB48

15-year-old idol Shihori Suzuki, currently belonging to AKB48's "kenkyuusei" team, unexpectedly announced on Saturday that she is leaving the group. The news came just a week after Suzuki was promoted to become a regular member of Team B.

Earlier in August, when AKB48 surprised fans with major roster changes, Suzuki was one of twelve kenkyuusei members who were chosen to join the main AKB48 unit this coming October. But according to her blog post, she said that when her promotion was announced, she realized her own "half-heartedness" and felt that she could not continue with her "naive way of thinking," while her peers were desperately trying to achieve their dreams. Instead of worrying and being unable to move forward as part of AKB48, she hopes to figure out her own dream by herself and work directly towards it.

Suzuki officially leaves AKB48 at the end of August, but she will still participate in a handshake event on September 20 as planned. Her last stage performance with the group was on August 29, when she announced her resignation.

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