Former Idol Accused Of Bullying And Arranging An Assault On Group Mate Makes Controversial Return
Content Warning
Former member of NGT48 Ogina Yuka has made her first attempt at returning to YouTube.
NGT48 is an offshoot of AKB48 and functions similarly, with a rotating line-up of members that perform at their home theater in Niigata City. Two years after the group’s official debut in 2017, a shocking scandal resulted in the group completely changing its structure.
In January 2019, then-member Yamaguchi Maho revealed that two men had assaulted her as she walked into her apartment and were only stopped when a neighbor intervened.
Yamaguchi brought the incident to the public after the group’s management did not take action, first doing a live stream that was cut off and then sharing a series of tweets. In the tweets, she claimed members of NGT48 were involved in the assault, accusing them of leaking her address and schedule.
The two suspects and a third accomplice were identified during investigations but ultimately released by police. Yamaguchi also made headlines worldwide following her apology during a show, sparking outrage.
Maho Yamaguchi should not have to apologize for getting assaulted.
I accept this apology as in not burning more bridges to keep getting jobs, but never ever should this be an apology for the attacker, the management or the leaker. pic.twitter.com/zGu9Duclos
— Mimiko ♥ (@mimiko_kupo) January 10, 2019
Ogina was suspected of being involved along with other members after Yamaguchi unfollowed her, with it being suspected these members were also bullying her following the assault. She denied this and remained a member of NGT48 until her graduation in 2021.
After this, she signed with another company but left in 2022 and has seemingly been active as a model and freelancer.
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Ogina previously had a YouTube channel but recently opened another with the name “Ms. Ogino has a bad reputation.” She currently has two videos on the channel, both of which mention the scandal in the title.
Netizens reacted negatively to her return, also mentioning her alleged rigging of an AKB48 general ranking.
- “Why does her face look so different? She looks so vicious.”
- “You ruined ’48,’ and now you still want to be on TV?”
- “She’s seriously so shameless, haha. The nerve of the person who ruined the group.”
- “So shameless. I completely lost interest in AKB from the time they started rigging the general election.”
- “She’s a criminal, and yet she has over a thousand YouTube subscribers? Haha, unbelievable.”
- “I can’t stand the sight of her.”