STU48 Holds 9th Anniversary Concert in Tokyo! 14th Single Release Set for September 16th (Wed) with Kokua Kai as First-Time Center!

The idol group STU48, which formed on March 31, 2017, and is based in the Setouchi region, held its 9th anniversary concert, "STU48 9th Anniversary Concert THE STU SHOW 〜Sailing〜," today, May 30th (Sat), at Kanadevia Hall (formerly TOKYO DOME CITY HALL) in Tokyo.

While the 9th anniversary concert series concluded with five performances in Hiroshima at Ueno Gakuen Hall in April, the group stood on stage in Tokyo for the final showcase, with determination for their 10th year.

Under the title "THE STU SHOW 〜Sailing〜," the Tokyo performance featured a string of songs that have colored the history of STU48, including "Bokutachi wa Sindbad da," "Mubou na Yume wa Sameru koto ga nai," and "Iki wo suru Kokoro." They also performed songs released by the AKB48 group during their 9th anniversary period, such as "Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai" (AKB48) and "Isshun no Hanabi" (NMB48), presenting a setlist that allowed the audience to feel the history of both STU48 and the 48 Group.

When the message "What did you find in the darkness?" appeared on the screen, they performed their debut single, "Kurayami." In the MC, Akari Fukuda said, "STU48 is stepping into its 10th year. To make this 10th year better and to further energize STU48, we, all members of STU48 and the staff involved, thought about a slogan that would be like a shared goal, and what we decided on is the one that was just shown on the monitor: 'What did you find in the darkness?' Over these 10 years, we have overcome various walls, and there have been happy and painful times, but I think there are many things we have found along the way, and many yet to be discovered. With the thought of wanting to make this 10th year one where we cherish those treasures while setting out to find new ones, I hope we can make it a 10th year that connects to the future, while naturally cherishing the songs we have sung so far! We promise to make it a wonderful 10th year, so please look forward to the future of STU48. Thank you for always supporting STU48. Please continue to follow us!"

Furthermore, captain Azumi Okada announced, "As we run into the 10th year together, I, Azumi Okada, will graduate from the position of captain, and Akari Fukuda will graduate from the position of vice-captain! In order to move forward together as a group towards the 10th anniversary, we made this decision so that each and every member can think of this group as their own matter more than ever before, and take responsibility to lead the group collectively into the 10th, 11th, and 12th anniversaries! We want to walk and move forward with you all so that STU48 can become an even bigger group!"

Chiho Ishida, a first-generation member who has her graduation concert at the same venue tomorrow, expressed her gratitude, "This is my last anniversary concert. Thankfully, I have been able to watch and experience STU48 up close for nine years since the first year. Celebrating the 9th anniversary concert, I reaffirmed that the current STU is sparkling brilliantly and I love it so much. Thank you all so much for the wonderful time."

After performing their first original song, "Setouchi no Koe," and as they reached the final greetings, a video appeared on the monitor, announcing that STU48's 14th single will be released on Wednesday, September 16th. In addition, the selected members for the title track were announced, with Hibiki Hamada (3rd generation), Hina Morisue (3rd generation), Sayaka Shimada (4th generation trainee), and Ako Sogabe (4th generation trainee) joining the selection for the first time. It was also announced that Kokua Kai (1st generation), who returned to STU48 on March 1st this year after time in KLP48, will serve as the center for the 14th single.

Hibiki Hamada said, "Thank you so much for choosing me for the selection of the 14th single. I am very happy. I really don't know much yet and there are still many things I don't understand, but I will do my best to keep up with the seniors and make people feel that it was good that I was included in the selection."

Hina Morisue said, "I really didn't think my name would be called, and I thought that the position of selection was still a very distant place for me. I have always been helped by my fans, but since I have been chosen, I will do my best so that people will feel glad that they chose me."