Today on July 6th, it was announced by Hello! Project's management team that Fujii Rio, who was supposed to graduate at the end of the Hello! Project Summer tour, has recently left the agency, after her contract was cancelled.
You can read the official statement HERE.
Currently, the only reasons for Rio's sudden departure are vague. Management have stated that Rio's contract was cancelled, as she did not comply to the rules that they had set, therefore resulting in a premature departure from the Kobushi Factory member. According to the announcement, both management and Rio had talked about what she would do before graduating, however as she had not stuck by the rules or her promises to the agency, they found it better to let her go now, as she was not responsible enough for Up-Front or Hello! Project.
However much of this is true, we do not know. Still, it is safe to say that, for Rio, there is / will be some blame on her part. Rarely does a company cancel a contract, unless there is a dispute or scandal of some kind.
Still, it's a little annoying, and I'm not even a fan of this group or the member in question to begin with!
