Koike Minami x Inoue Rina interview in ExTaishu April 2025
Buying juices for you
Q Inoue-san, back when you were still just a Keyakizaka fan, what was your image of Koike-san?
Inoue: From the POV of a fan, despite her cutesy image, she showed a cool performance on stage like she was a completely different person. Personally, I thought her melancholic expressions were incredible. I was proud to be someone from Hyogo, just like her.
Koike: I’m glad to hear that.
Q And then after entering Keyakizaka46, several 2nd generation members were added into the formation.
Inoue: As several 2nd gen members get to join music shows [performances], I learned as I watched them across the screen. The members that had performed with the seniors and the seniors were getting to know each other while I was getting flustered as I couldn’t bring myself to speak with them, Mii-san reached out to me. It was really reassuring.
Q Koike-san, do you remember this moment?
Inoue: I do. Rina-chan drew a penguin on her greeting card, so I asked, “You like penguins!?” (laughs).
Inoue: That’s right (laughs).
Koike: And of course I was aware that she was from Hyogo too, I thought that we had similarities.
Q Speaking of which, there’s a connection between Koike-san and penguins. By the way, do you still like them?
Koike: I’m more fond of dogs these days (laughs).
Q Right (laughs). So you were curious about Inoue-san?
Koike: The 1st generation has a lot of shy members, so when we met for the first time we were unable to reach out to them, and there was a tense atmosphere. I thought that the 2nd generation members might have had a scary image of the 1st generation members. Though I’m also a shy person, I felt that I had to initiate a conversation.
Q Matsuda Rina-san said that Koike-san was casual with them.
Koike: I tend to start out nervous, but after meeting more, I’ve become able to approach them even without the need to talk that much. I think that I see them as “friends” more than “juniors.
Q I get the feeling that you also treat your genmates casually.
Koike: I don’t hang out with particular girls, and I think I’m just in the right position (laughs).
Q Is that how you have always been since before entering the group?
Koike: When I was an active student, there was something like a school caste. Though I tried not to offend anyone, there were moments where it felt like I’m just spinning my wheels. It made me think that perhaps it would be better if I just didn’t interact with others. But I was able to be who I am without thinking unnecessary things in Keyakizaka46 and Sakurazaka46.
Q Inoue-san is similar to a little sister for Koike-san, right?
Koike: That’s right. But she has grown up now…
Inoue: Not at all (laughs).
Koike: At first, she’d hug me before the beginning of a performance. Since I’m someone who gets spoiled by my genmates, it made me realize it’s nice to be able to spoil someone else like that. I feel sad that she hasn’t been coming to get spoiled, I think it’s because she’s an adult now.
Inoue: Mii-san was the first senior that I became friends with, and there is a sense of peace of mind from having someone outside of my genmates to rely on, so I think that’s why I could let myself be spoiled by her.
Q Do any juniors go to Inoue-san for pampering?
Inoue: I don’t have any senior-vibes (laughs). But I’m ready and willing to help them out whenever I’m needed!
Koike: I got the impression that Rina-chan’s genmates go to her for pampering.
Inoue: That certainly happens (laughs).
Q And there’s the story of how Koike-san often treats Inoue to juice.
Koike: Right, that happened (laughs). Basically, I like vending machines, and whenever I find one, I always want to buy something. I usually just buy something on my own, but during rehearsal I want to go with someone else, so I invited Rina-chan.
Inoue: I was happy that Mii-san invited me. Since we have the kind of relationship where I can say cheeky things, there are times where I ask, “Buy me juice~”. That’s my way of expressing affection.
Q You two have been out together before, right?
Koike: I think she’s the 2nd gen member I went out the most with.
Inoue: Really!?
Koike: Yeah. We went to an amusement park too, didn’t we?
Inoue: We also went to get yakiniku.
Koike: There was also the time we went to get parfaits.
Q Has there been a time where you asked her for advice about your troubles?
Inoue: In fact, we don’t talk about work.
Koike: Something I remember is that once, during a very long wait time in an amusement park, we spent the whole time playing finger games. I thought it was amazing that we could pass time with just finger games (laughs).
Q Is there any concert that is memorable to you?
Inoue: There’s a lot of them, but the one that got me excited and feeling “Mii-san is really amazing!” was her comeback song, “Masatsukeisuu”, at the Tokyo Dome concert (15th June 2024). I was facing the main stage from the center stage, and basically was facing downwards, but I felt the roar of the audience and got happy, thinking, “Mii-san is back!”. I was able to reaffirm how amazing Mii-san, who can move people’s hearts, is.
Q Koike-san, were there any changes within you before and after Tokyo Dome?
Koike: It’s completely different. Until then, I had been standing on the stage while feeling conflicted internally, but Tokyo Dome helped me to break free of that, and I was able to enjoy the atmosphere while cherishing the time I spent with everyone.
Q I’m sure the Sakurazaka46 “4th Anniversary Live” must have been a very moving event for you.
Koike: That’s right. When I was able to watch last year, I thought that we wouldn’t be returning here, so standing on stage, I was determined to never forget that scenery. I have already decided to graduate, so there was also the feeling of, “let’s burn it into my memory because this is the first and last time”.
Q Even though you already decided on your own graduation, you also had to send off Uemura Rina-san and Saito Fuyuka-san.
Koike: There’s only a slight difference in time between their graduations and mine, but I was worried about whether or not I could go on without any of my genmates. Although I do feel loneliness in my day to day activities since their departure, the atmosphere with 2nd and 3rd gen members has been fun. I am grateful to the members who have created such an atmosphere.
Q Inoue-san, what do you think about the “10th Single BACKS LIVE!!”?
Inoue: Since Uemura-san was unable to participate, and Fuyuka-san’s graduation ceremony was held on the second day, there was sadness from how we won’t be able to work until the last day together. But during the rehearsal, Fuyuka-san said, “I don’t want to just make memories, I want to see things through to the end”, and that was so cool. I was happy that she thought Sakurazaka46 could still grow even more. It was an important period where I could experience the atmosphere that only 1st generation members can create.
I will act as a tree in the graduation ceremony if I must
Q Koike-san, did you ever imagine that you would be the last 1st generation member?
Koike: Never, not even once. When filming “Tokuyama Daigoro Dare ga Koroshita no ka?”, we talked about who would be the last to remain. Everyone answered “Fuuchan”. When I entered, I thought that I’d only continue until 22 years old at most, so I’m the one that’s the most surprised about being the last one here (laughs).
Q This is just my own thought, but perhaps you thought of wanting to stay in the group longer because of your hiatus.
Koike: To be honest, that also played a part. I relayed my intention to the staff in Summer of 2023, and my graduation was scheduled for Spring of 2024. But since I was on hiatus for around half a year, I wanted to be in the group for just as long. That’s how it ended up being at this timing.
Q At a certain point, when I heard that a 1st generation would be graduating, I started to think more like “She stayed this long already” instead of “I wish she could stay a little longer”. Koike-san, could you tell us the reason why you decided to graduate?
Koike: I thought that I could “leave it” to the 2nd generation members, but the 3rd generation’s rate of growth is amazing, and several members are even in senbatsu, right? I think that the current “Sakurazaka46-likeness” is not a single thing, but shaped from the gathering of each member’s individuality. Now that I can see that shape, I feel that I can pass the world I envisioned down to my juniors.
Q And Inoue-san, how did you feel when you learned about Koike-san’s graduation?
Inoue: I sensed that her graduation might be coming, so instead of trying to stop her like, “Why are you graduating~!?”, I thought about what I could do to send off the senior that built up the group well. I wanted to focus my efforts on that. It still doesn’t feel real to me, though.
Koike: In the letters I’ve received through the messaging app, many people also said that it hadn’t sunk in yet. The same goes for me.
Q Right after your graduation announcement, fans were seen responding with “I still remember the solo dance that Koike ad-libbed for ‘Futari Sezon’ during Keyakizaka46’s Summer National Arena Tour 2028”.
Koike: What I always remember are the words Fuuchan said before the start of “Futari Sezon”: “Why don’t you dance it?”. At the moment, I was wondering whether I should or shouldn’t do it. But in the end, I did it. Right after that, I felt as if I had made a lot of people my enemy. But I thought that when Hirate (Yurina) came back, it would be easier to hear “other members filled your position” instead of “It was performed with Hirate’s position left empty”. I thought that if members were fine with it, then it was fine.
Q Do you have strong feelings toward “Futari Sezon”?
Koike: When producing it, I was still unable to fully understand the goodness of the song or the words of the MV director. But as we have performed it, members have graduated, and the 2nd generation filled their positions… The more I experienced the deeper it became, and “Futari Sezon” has become a song that I cherish.
Q And what feelings do you have toward “Sonia”, which you centered after the group was renamed to Sakurazaka46?
Koike: Just like “Futari Sezon”, at first, I was unable to understand the greatness of the song. But I gradually came to understand it. Now, I feel happy when I see the smiles of the members.
Inoue: Mii-san’s hairstyle called “Sonini”, which became popular among the members, fits “Sonia” very much. My original position is one right behind Mii-san, so I was happy that we were able to perform it in “10th Single BACKS LIVE!!”.
Q And “Nothing Special”, which is included in the 11th Single has become your last MV.
Koike: Up until then when doing MV filming, I was always conscious of the worldview and thought of things that I needed to do, and I would feel some tension. But in “Nothing special”s filming, I wanted to cherish the time that I have with everyone, so I was able to sincerely enjoy it. I was also able to communicate well with my juniors. Kira-chan (Masumoto Kira) and I took turns taking pictures of each other making funny faces (laughs).
Q Your graduation ceremony will be held on 20th March.
Koike: While I do have the desire to perform songs that I like, I thought it’d be wrong to burden the members, so I’d like to make it into a ceremony where I could have fun with the members. I’d be happy if I could make wonderful memories.
Q And with what feelings will Inoue-san face the graduation ceremony?
Inoue: I think it’ll be great if it could be a happy moment for Mii-san, so I’d like to do anything it takes to make it happen. Even if they ask me to act as a tree, I will!
Koike: (laughs). Thank you.
Q Endo Riko-san might cry a lot.
Koike: I wonder if she will. I told Riko about my graduation in advance. She was surprisingly very cold about it, but Riko hit me so much that my leg turned red. She’s someone who expresses herself in that way, so she might not cry (laughs).
Q She might hit you during the graduation ceremony (laughs).
Koike: Right (laughs).
Q What does Koike-san think of the 3rd generation members?
Koike: As the 1st and 2nd generation created Sakurazaka46 from the start, some time passed before we could find “Sakurazaka-likeness”, but I think that the 3rd generation who entered because they like Sakurazaka46 added color to the group. I’m a bit shy toward the 3rd generation and sometimes act in a tsun-tsun manner, but many of them interact with me while considering my personality, which makes me happy.
Q What about 2nd generation members?
Koike: They are already taking the helm of Sakurazaka46, so I don’t say things like “It should be like this”, I just hope they can freely do their activities.
Inoue: Thank you very much. We are doing our activities freely, so please don’t worry.
Q Do you have any worries that there will be no more 1st generation members?
Koike: Personally, though I feel some sadness, I’m not worried. I’ve been watching my juniors for six years, and everyone else graduated with the thought “I can leave things to 2nd generation members”, and I don’t want to betray those feelings.
Q On the tour that will happen from April to August, the group will be performing for three days at Tokyo Dome, and two days at Kyocera Dome.
Inoue: I think that such wonderful places have been prepared because of the expectations put on Sakurazaka46. I’d like to answer those expectations with our performances.
Q And I think the 4th generation will be joining in soon.
Inoue: As they will be the generation that has no interaction with the 1st generation, I’d like to properly convey what we have learned to the 4th generation members. It might be necessary to put things into words, but I think that we can convey it through our attitude.
Koike: She said that she is “not senior-like”, but Rina-chan shows it through her actions. Seeing the way she silently and diligently works hard inspires the other girls to give their best as well. She’s properly acting as a senior, you see (laughs).
Inoue: I’ve gotta buy my juniors juice if they ask for it (laughs).
Q Koike-san was a member of both Keyakizaka46 and Sakurazaka46.
Koike: They are completely different. I was able to experience different emotions.
Q Are you glad to have been an idol?
Koike: I have always liked idols since I was born, and I didn’t have anything else that I wanted to be besides an idol, so I feel really glad to have been one. It wasn’t all fun, but it’s been an experience like no other. It’s been a good 10 years.
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