On December 1st, Konoka Matsuda of the idol group Hinatazaka46 announced on her blog that she will be graduating from the group after activities for the group's 16th single, "Cliffhanger," which will be released on January 28th, 2026.
In a blog post titled "Because I love this place," she reported, "It has been a combined eight and a half years since I started working with Keyakizaka46 and Hinatazaka46. I will be graduating from Hinatazaka46."
"The thought of graduation had been on my mind since around last year," she revealed, continuing, "The only person I had consulted about it was a staff member who had looked after me since I first joined, but shortly after we had talked, he passed away and went to heaven. Since he was the only person I had consulted, I kept the idea of graduation to myself. Did this mean it was not time for me to graduate, or that I should give up? I thought about it over and over. But in the end, I did not come to the decision to postpone my graduation. I had a feeling inside me that I did not want to give up on learning, that I had nothing left undone as a member of Hinatazaka, and that what I wanted to do now was to set off on a journey from here."
Regarding her life after graduation, she wrote, "I would like to continue to be involved in this world," and appealed to fans, "I plan to make my remaining three months of my life with Hinatazaka even more intense from here on out! Are you ready? I would be happy if you would watch over me until the end. I would appreciate your continued support!"
Matsuda was born on April 27, 1999, in Kyoto Prefecture. In 2017, she passed the "Keyakizaka46 Additional Member Recruitment Audition" and debuted as a second-generation member of "Keyakizaka46." After the group changed its name to "Hinatazaka46," she became a central member. She is known as a fan of variety shows and radio, and has her own radio program on Nippon Broadcasting System, "Hinatazaka46 Konoka Matsuda's All Night Nippon X (Cross)" (Thursdays at midnight).
With Matsuda's graduation, Hinatazaka46 will have only two second-generation members, Kanemura Miku and Kosaka Nao.
