A seemingly innocent social media post has cost a Japanese idol trainee her career after fans noticed the reflection of what appeared to be a man in her drink.
Within three days of the photo going viral, her agency announced her dismissal and deleted her official X account.
According to Smart FLASH, 17-year-old Fujisaki Azu, a member of the trainee group Heroines Kenkyuusei, had shared the photo on 1 Nov.
Ms Fujisaki’s post showed her holding a tray with popcorn and a cola at what seemed to be a cinema.
Source: @nani__nani_ on X
However, eagle-eyed netizens noticed that the plastic cup’s reflection showed the faint outline of a man holding a phone, believed to be the one taking her photo.
Source: @nani__nani_ on X
The image was soon circulated widely online, and speculation mounted that the idol had been on a date.
A tweet highlighting the reflection has since gained more than 18 million views and 23,000 likes, even though Ms Fujisaki’s original post, along with her entire X account, have been deleted.
On 4 Nov, Heroines Kenkyuusei’s official X account posted a notice stating that Ms Fujisaki had committed a “serious violation of group rules” and would leave the group effective immediately.
The agency apologised to fans for the sudden announcement and urged the public not to contact or harass any members over the matter.
According to Smart FLASH, Ms Fujisaki later reposted the agency’s statement and apologised, saying that her careless actions had hurt her fans, fellow members, and those involved.
Dating remains a major taboo in Japan’s idol industry, where preserving a “pure” and devoted image for fans is considered part of the profession.
This strict expectation has sparked controversy in the past. Last year, one idol was reportedly made to post nightly “solo good night” photos for an entire year after accidentally sharing pictures with her boyfriend online.
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Featured image adapted from @nani__nani_ on X.