Ai Kago

Ai Kago confesses to smoking

Wednesday 11th June, 02:08 PM JST

TOKYO —

Ex-Morning Musume member Ai Kago, 20, who was fired by her agency for smoking when she was a minor, confessed on her official blog this week that she smoked during her stay in Hong Kong to make a movie. On May 16, before leaving for Hong Kong, Kago had declared she would never smoke again.

She wrote on the blog: “Sorry guys. I was offered a cigarette after dinner. I hesitated but in the end I smoked it. I was so determined not to smoke when I left Japan. This is not good. I hate myself.”

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Latest 15 of 19 Total Comments Show All

GG2141 at 04:04 PM JST - 11th June

I'll bet it was the sweetest smoke ever.........
Coligny at 04:37 PM JST - 11th June

These kind of public self humiliation remind me of some really dark communist times...

But sum up rpetty well the sado-masochist state of japanese society...
Hughgarse at 05:43 PM JST - 11th June

breaking news this one
capone at 05:44 PM JST - 11th June

the Ministry Of Finance must love her though...since they still own like 65% of Japan Tobacco and she probably brought in the whole 16yr old demographic
borscht at 07:41 PM JST - 11th June

When Ai Kago turns 45 will she still be dealing with this friggin' smoking thing? She's 20, she's old enough to smoke if she wants to. If everyone wants to make a big thing out of it, start a blog.
lipscombe at 10:29 PM JST - 11th June

is she paying JT? nice PR action recently, wonder what kind of crazy hijinks she'll be up to next to stay on my radar
Sarge at 10:34 PM JST - 11th June

Hey, she's young, she's pretty - she's invincible - it's OK to smoke!

I miss the old Marboro Man commercials - that smokin' cowboy was a real man! Ha ha ha!

capone ( 03:30 PM ) - Har!
usaexpat at 11:43 PM JST - 11th June

Baby let's go out have a few glasses of shoju and share a smoke it's all good by me. I won't tell your agency if you don't tell my wife.
medievaltimes at 09:34 AM JST - 12th June

Shame culture at its best.
Spidey at 09:54 AM JST - 12th June

OH MY GOD!! She had a cigarette when she was sixteen!! Of all the unheard off things!! It's time for the ULTIMATE PLUNGE!!

Sayonara Ai chan

S
gurugurugaijin at 11:25 AM JST - 12th June

Go deeper next time hon. Then the hating will stop.
sincity2 at 11:44 AM JST - 12th June

I hate her too, but not for smoking. Morning Musume must stop, or they must all be gassed.

Why couldn't that guy that went nuts in Akihabara have run over all those spinny witches instead.

Now that would be Win Win.
JoiceRojo at 11:03 PM JST - 13th June

I don't know if this article is for real or not. Is it really condemned that a person of 16 years of age smokes? sure there is a series of comments about being too young, your health and things like that, but to get fired? The only way to understand that is if you were caught smoking in a non-permitted area (for example, a hospital or something like that).

On the other hand, if you at 20 couldn't resist a cigarrette no way that you'd quit
thepossum at 10:35 PM JST - 14th June

joicerojo, I agree. This sounds like an attempt to distract from more serious issues facing Japan's entertainment world. This feels like the few times when Japanese go way too far out of their way to appear to be kind. Basic "overkill". But it's usually so obvious only the completely challenged don't get it.
bamboohat at 11:17 PM JST - 14th June

Dang I smoked in like third grade or something... When I was 16 I was onto bigger and worser things...