Matsuda Rina interview in SWITCH Vol. 43 (October 2025 Edition)
2020 - 2022
Q When the group was renamed into Sakurazaka46 in 2020, what did you think of, Matsuda-san?
Matsuda: I don’t really remember what I thought of… it’s not that I completely have no memory of it, but even now I still don't understand what feelings I was feeling back then. I was sad that Keyakizaka is ending, and I had no idea what will happen with Sakurazaka in the future. The only thing that doesn’t change was to give my all to everything that is happening in front of me, so while I continue to give my best every day, but if you ask me how I was feeling back then, then I don’t understand when I look back to it now, that is how it’s like. It was something that I have never experienced, so I think that a lot of emotions were mixed in.
Q What is your earliest memory as Sakurazaka46?
Matsuda: I wonder… I remember well how our first activities overlapped with Keyakizaka. Even though we are preparing for Keyakizaka’s Last Live, because we will need to immediately start our activities as Sakurazaka, we started the production of the first single in parallel to that. We needed to be Sakurazaka46 for our jacket covers or our artist pictures, so we were feeling like, “But we are not renamed yet, we are still Keyakizaka…” I remembered how I took it on with a really complicated feeling. It’s like my heart couldn’t handle having to be working as a part of two groups.
Q The group then started their activities Sakurazaka46 in October 2020, and you were selected to be the Vice Captain in January of the next year. How did you accept your role as Vice Captain?
Matsuda: It was the time where both 1st and 2nd generation has to start again from scratch, and us the 2nd generation were thinking that we need to contribute to the group as well; Instead of accepting it with the feeling of wanting to be a bridge between the 1st and 2nd generation, I was hoping to be of help anyway I can… When I first heard about it I felt confused, but thought that it would be a valuable experience for me, and decided to give it my best.
Q What kind of presence was Sugai Yuuka-san, who was then the captain of the group, for you?
Matsuda: She really put me at ease, and she has an amazing power to lead the group, and she said really nice things during MC sessions of a concert… While she made me think, “I want to follow this person!”, but she’s actually quite airheaded (laughs). But that too, is a part of Sugai-san’s goodness. She has such a perfect balance of her dependable side and her clumsy side (laughs). While she is approachable, she also properly acts as a senior, and also has the dignity of a captain. It made me always think of how amazing she really is, she was someone whose presence is truly big. Sugai-san told me regarding her graduation earlier than other members, and since then my days were filled with sadness and anxiety… It was really difficult for me to endure that by myself without being able to talk with someone else about it
Q Sugai-san graduated in the group’s Tokyo Dome performance in 2022, and at the same time it was also announced there that Matsuda-san became the new captain.
Matsuda: When Sugai-san’s graduation was determined, somewhere in my heart I thought that I needed to prepare myself. While I did feel anxious about it, the atmosphere of the venue and the expression of the members were so warm that I remembered feeling at ease. All the members looked my way, and listened to what I said with “You’ll be fine” expressions. And I really felt the kind atmosphere coming from the Buddies over at the audience seats… That’s why from that moment, I stopped feeling fear about it.
Q What about your thoughts or the way you approached the group?
Matsuda: I always think about the group more than I do myself, I pay close attention to my surroundings, and always pay attention to the current atmosphere of the group or everyone’s mood. Because of that, at times I ended up being worried about things that I shouldn’t be worried that much about. Well, I have always been that kind of person, though (laughs). I've been paying attention to the condition of the group that way, and recently before the start of rehearsal for the tour or concerts I would gather all the members for a discussion.
Q What kind of things were talked about?
Matsuda: It wasn’t anything particularly important, it feels more like I’m persistently repeating obvious things again and again. Such as greetings, responses, manners. Telling everyone to be sure to do these things properly, even more when it is not filmed on camera. When we are on the stage, how we behave as idols is something that each member could decide on their own, so it’s like… how to say it, “life coach” kind of thing? (laughs). I often tell them to be careful about certain things, not to be considerate of certain areas, and other such things. It’s really just like what a life coach teacher would say. And so, until now, while I would talk about it with them every time we have a tour or a concert, the content doesn’t really change that much. That said, it’s basically just my own personal opinion, which is not discussed together to decide upon, which always makes me feel nervous… So I always start it with things like, “I don’t know if this is the right thing…” or “What I say is absolute…” (laughs).
2023 - 2025
Q In 2023, the 3rd generation newly entered the group, and in addition to captain you have also become a “senior”. What does Matsuda-san think on what you should do, on what you should say to your juniors?
Matsuda: For that, I don’t even have any idea on what I should do… I’m pretty confident that I didn’t do well at it (laughs).
Q Didn’t do well?
Matsuda: Yes. I thought that as a senior, I should’ve taught them a lot from the very beginning. I’m sure that because of that, I made the 3rd generation members go through some hardship… While I am conscious of treating the newly entering 3rd generation members nicely, that wasn’t enough. I had to properly teach the things that needed to be taught, and even though there were a lot of things that I’m supposed to do as a senior, I wasn’t able to do them. Or should I say, just treating them kindly is not kindness. The 3rd generation members are truly nice girls, and they have high communication skills, so instead they were the ones being considerate and reaching out to us. That is really cute, and I just can’t help but to be lax on them… (laughs). Looking back, I think I was just simply not used to being a senior.
Q That might be exactly what the 3rd generation members are feeling right now.
Matsuda: But I think that those girls might be acting more like a proper senior. I think that the 3rd generation might be fond of others, as they are good at interacting with seniors, and I also saw how they can reach out to their juniors.
Q The 2nd generation are not really good?
Matsuda: Everyone is truly so shy (laughs), both the 1st generation and the 2nd generation were shy, so it feels like we gradually become closer over time. And because we were juniors for a long time, we didn’t know how to interact with those after us. Compared to that, the 3rd generation are really good at it. They didn’t feel any particular worries about the 4th generation coming in, and I got the impression that many of them were really looking forward to it.
Q As Sakurazaka46’s activities continue, one by one the 1st generation members graduate, and this year Koike Minami-san graduated. The 2nd and 3rd generation has fully become the core of the group, and with the 4th generation’s entrance, I feel that a new era of Sakurazaka46 is starting from now.
Matsuda: Yes. But it’s not like I only started feeling like that starting from this year. Or rather, I’ve been thinking about it ever since the time 1st generation members started to graduate. So while I am, of course, feeling very sad that the 1st generation is gone, I no longer feel anxious about it, and I’m okay. My feeling of “Don’t worry, leave it to us!” is stronger. The 3rd generation are now also in their third year, and they are very reliable, and the 4th generation are very talented, so I’m much more excited to see what Sakurazaka will be like from now on.
Q On the third day of Tokyo Dome, in the final MC, Matsuda-san shared your worries about the concert and your feeling of how Sakurazaka still has a long way to go. What were your thoughts behind those words?
Matsuda: I think… it is precisely something that we are only now able to turn our attention to. I think that the people that I’d like to know more about Sakurazaka are still far out of our reach right now. In a way, I think that it is a selfish, self-indulging problem. How greedy can I be?, so to say (laughs). Because we are already happy enough as we are.
Up until now, we have always continued our activities with the thought that we are doing it for the sake of our Buddies, who love and support Sakurazaka, and of course that remains to be the most important thing; But for Sakurazaka to grow even bigger, I really feel that we need to come across more and more people “from the outside”, people who don’t know about Sakurazaka. It’s not something that I only started thinking about now, but something that’s been in my mind for a while.
And over the past five years, we have gained confidence, and I also feel that the number of Buddies have really grown, so that’s why I thought that this might be the time for us to turn our attention toward that concern.
Q Being able to convey that with your own words from the top of the stage made me think that you are truly Sakurazaka46’s captain.
Matsuda: But, I was really torn about whether I should say it or not. Like, having that many Buddies in front of me was already something I feel grateful for, so why am I still saying something like this? (laughs). So while thinking “I’m really sorry!”, that is really something that I aimed for… Though I don’t know if I managed to say it well, but if the people who don't know about us right now would come to like Sakurazaka46 and become Buddies in the future, that would mean there will be more opportunities for people to see us, and we will have more opportunities to meet the Buddies. That would be win-win for both of us, right? That’s why I want to work hard to achieve that goal from now on.
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