On September 16th, Nogizaka46 member Shiori Kubo announced her graduation from the group. It was also announced that a graduation concert will be held at Yokohama Arena (Kohoku Ward, Yokohama) on November 26th and 27th.
On the same day, she updated her official blog with a message titled "It's been nine years like the wind," in which she wrote, "I've loved idols since I was six, and at 15 I was able to join my beloved Nogizaka46. It's been such a wonderful nine years that it feels like a dream come true. Thank you so much."
Regarding the reason for announcing her graduation, she wrote, "I love Nogizaka46 so much, and when I looked at myself objectively, I heard a voice say that now is the time to graduate. It is because I love Nogizaka46 so much that I have made this choice now. I thought I should not miss this opportunity."
Kubo is 24 years old and hails from Miyagi Prefecture, having been born on July 14, 2001. She made her debut in September 2016 after passing the audition for Nogizaka46's third generation. She is a central member of the group, and from February 2022 she will be hosting the group's signature radio program, "Nogizaka46 All Night Nippon" (Nippon Broadcasting System, Wednesdays at 1 a.m.).
She has also been active as a model and actor, having worked as an exclusive model for the teen media magazine "Seventeen" (Asadora) for around six years, and appearing in the NHK Taiga drama "What Will Ieyasu Do?" (2023) as Oda Nobunaga's daughter, Gotoku. She also appears in the currently airing NHK morning drama "Anpan" as the singer Shiratori Tamae. She is also known as a fan of the professional baseball team, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
