Going to Debut in Korea? – Former IZ*ONE Member Hitomi Leaving AKB48 Sparks Rumors That She’s Going to Redebut in HYBE

After PRODUCE 48's IZ*ONE disbanded, Hitomi went back to her home country in Japan and reinstated her position in AKB48, her group.

Now as an idol in Japan, her fans are still supporting her as they also support AKB48. However, Hitomi surprised them with a graduation announcement which is equivalent to leaving the group.

@choerryilyy keep supporting hitomi in the future !! #hitomi #akb48 #choerryilyy #ikrdayeon #choerryily #fyp #izone ♬ original sound - #1 jiu stan‼️

@12_young_22 The PRANK HAS BECOMING REAL 😂😂😂😭😭😭😭 Anyway Good Job for Becoming Idol in 10 YEARS including one of IZONE Members & Family... You Will shine more in Modelling, Acting, & Japanese TV Industry 🌟🌟🌟 #akb48graduationannouncement #akb48 #hondahitomi #hitomi #jpopfypシ #foryoupage❤️❤️ #fypシ ♬ suara asli - Young22

She posted on her personal X's account:

"As a representative of Tochigi-ken in AKB48 Team 8, I joined the team at 12-years old and promoted as a part of the group for 10 years. As a member of AKB48, as a member of IZ*ONE, and as a selected member of the main team, not to mention being chosen as the center twice, I was able to grow while gaining valuable experiences.

Thank you so much for supporting me for the last 10 years, even though I was so inexperienced. I will be leaving this giving environment where I was so blessed, but I will not forget your love and support for me as I take on new challenges and test my capabilities.

As the single set for release on September 27 will be my last activity as a member of AKB48, I will be participating in all group events currently being announced. Details on my graduation performance will be revealed at a later time."

先ほど卒業発表をさせていただきました。
卒業までの残りの時間を大切に、これからもAKB48の為に全力で頑張ります。
今後ともよろしくお願いいたします。 pic.twitter.com/sFDAiA8J52

— 本田仁美 (@hnd_htm__1006) August 30, 2023

As the fans knew how much Hitomi loved to perform, they started speculating reasons why she would leave AKB48, and among those, rumors that she would be coming back to Korea arose.

Netizens commented:

• I think she's going to debut in Korea again.
• back to K-pop ???
• Omg the prediction, we’re right that she was gonna leave AKB. Please join HYBE, I want to see you on stage again.
• Last woman standing.
• Hitomi loved performing so much like it’s so shocking. I’ll miss seeing her on stage
• How does that usually work tho? When are they supposed to graduate?
• I need her to go to Korea for real.
• For real like I did not expect Hitomi to graduate out of all the members.
  • ME NEITHER IT WAS VERY RANDOM.
  • Possibly she hasn’t said anything about her future plans because maybe she’s returning to Korea?
  • She’s always talking about how she misses Korea.
• THIS IS HOW I FIND OUR HITOMI IS LEAVING???
• They even took down her graduation announcement on YouTube.
• I hope she still pursues music after she graduates I’m gonna miss her voice and her performances so much.

Source (1), (2)