AKB48 Akimoto Sayaka Returns To Captains Position

Akimoto Sayaka Returns To Captains Position

AKB48 Team K member Akimoto Sayaka received some very good news, after resigning her leadership role after her scandal in October, has been focusing on other things, one being the “Tokyo Marathon” which she finished in a time of 6 hours, 50 minutes, and 6 seconds.

A number of AKB48 members were either in attendance or in the live broadcast studio showing their support, however the biggest news if the day was not her marathon run, it was that Akimoto has once again been made captain of Team K.

Sayaka posted this message for her fans.


Today I ran in the Tokyo Marathon. It was beautiful seeing the backs of everybody who was doing their best. I was able to receive encouragement from people on the sidelines of the route, the other runners, the AKB members and fans. If it was not for them, I do not think I would have been able to run 42.195 kilometers. The orchestra even played “Aitakatta” and “Heavy Rotation”. They are songs that we generally sing and now they were used to cheer me on, it made me cry.

Everyone was so kind. It was like Japan in the olden days…Something that the current Japan has lost… You could really see the relationships between so many people today. Sae, Yuka, Ume-chan, and all of the members…thank you so much. Thank you to everyone who gave me support and to my fans. I was able to finish this because of you all. I am sorry for always troubling you guys. In the end, I got an e-mail from Akimoto-sensei telling me I was Team K’s captain again. I was so surprised… I am a bit anxious, but I will do my very best to be a great captain from scratch. 

To all of the fans who I have worried and to the members, Akimoto Sayaka will do her best from scratch. Thank you so much. I have learned more about myself through running the marathon. I have started to like marathons now running is fun!! I would like to run it again… Runners, volunteers, everyone involved in the Tokyo Marathon!! Good work today!! We made it to the goal!!


Several other AKB48 members also posted messages among them were Katayama Haruka (Team A), Oshima Yuko (Team K), Nakatsuka Tomomi (Team K), Fujie Reina (Team K),
Yonezawa Rumi (Team K), Oku Manami (Team B), Kashiwagi Yuki (Team B Captain), Kobayashi Kana (Team B),Suzuki Mariya (Team B),Masuda Yuka (Team B),Uchida Mayumi (Team K) who by the way watched on TV with Fujiecchi, Sakiko, Rumi . Uchida words echoed what all Team K members wrote and that was "For us, only Sayaka-chan can be our captain, so we’re really glad. Let’s do our best together again!"