Ex-Momoiro Clover Z member Momoka Ariyasu to wed doctor

TOKYO (TR) – Talk about burying the lead.

In a message posted on Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday about resumption of her entertainment activities, Momoka Ariyasu, a former member of all-girl idol group Momoiro Clover Z, mentioned she plans to marry a doctor.

“I am currently in a relationship with a man [from outside the entertainment industry] with plans for marriage,” wrote Ariyasu, 23. “As a doctor, he is the one who supported my activities in the past.”

In January of last year, Ariyasu announced that she would “graduate” from Momoiro Clover Z. Her last performance with the group was on January 21 of that year. This past January, she revealed that she would be returning to the entertainment industry with concerts in Tokyo and Osaka.

Members of idol groups are typically required by talent agencies to not have (or at least reveal publicly the existence of) romantic partners. As such, Ariyasu also said in the message that a reporter from a weekly magazine accosted her while she was out walking — ostensibly with her boyfriend — one recent day.

“I do not know whether or in what form [the report] will appear, but I always most cherish what I say directly to my fans,” she said. “That is why I am speaking from this platform now.”

Fans responding to the announcement on Twitter were generally supportive, with many offering “congratulations.”

The message also mentioned that the agency she established independently was called Apricot. She also said that her boyfriend, who according to tabloid Flash is a 48-year-old clinician living in the capital, would be serving as a director at the agency.

“Since I will be pushing myself more than ever, it would be wonderful if you could lend your warm support,” she wrote in closing.

Note: Momoka Ariyasu will appear at Ex Theater Roppongi on March 24 and Namba Hatch on March 27.