Imai put career on hiatus in 2017 to care for son

Voice actress Yuka Imai announced on her blog on Thursday that she is retiring from voice acting. Imai did not provide a specific reason for her retirement but said she plans to focus on her family in a relaxed way.

Imai cited "complicated feelings" and "various conflicts" she encountered in arriving at the decision, but she believes retirement is a "decision toward a better future." She asked for understanding and thanked her staff, fellow voice actors, and fans for their support. She ended her message by saying, "It was a very happy 23 years. Thank you so very much."

Imai announced in May 2017 that she was taking a hiatus from voice acting to care for her three-year-old son, who was diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder. She said at that time that she wanted to return to acting after she "laid a good foundation" for her son.

Imai made her voice-acting debut in the Kirameki Mori no Yanta-kun television anime in 1994, and she made her major debut as Scarlet Ohara/Angel Salvia in Wedding Peach in 1995. She provided the voice for the protagonist Otaru Mamiya in the 1996 Saber Marionette J anime, and she reprised the role in further anime installments of the franchise. Imai voiced Kaoru Kiryuu in the Futari wa Precure Splash Star anime, but then had to back out of the role midway through the anime due to her previous pregnancy. Imai also had roles in such anime as Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars (both as Jinto Lin), Peacemaker (Suzu Kitamura), Kujibiki Unbalance (Chihiro Enomoto), and the Uta no Prince Sama franchise (Shibuya Tomochika ).