IZ*ONE Miyawaki Sakura and Nako's tears at their final concert as HKT48 before hiatus

At Sakura and Nako's final concert before joining IZ*ONE (Oct 2018), the legendary leader of HKT48, Sashihara Rino, announces she will be leaving the group. All the members cry on stage in response to the loss of the leader who carried them for the past 7 years. Full context is written below for new fans.

English subtitled by www.twitter.com/DuburinSubs

HKT48 is the popular Japanese idol group (a sister group of AKB48) that Sakura and Nako belonged to prior to joining IZ*ONE for their 2.5 year period. Sakura has been a member of HKT48 since 2011. For the these past 7 years, Sashihara Rino led HKT48 from the ground up, alongside Sakura and Nako, turning it into one of Japan's most prolific idol groups. She also mentored Sakura and Nako into the entertainers they are today. Additionally, Sashihara is now one of Japan's most well known idols and a legend in AKB48/HKT48. Sakura and Nako were among HKT48's most popular members, aside from Sashihara.

After the conclusion of this concert, which took place in October 2018, Sakura and Nako will be leaving HKT48 for 2.5 years to perform activity with IZ*ONE. However, unexpectedly, Sashihara Rino also announces she will be "graduating" (leaving) the group at the same time. HKT48 receives a crushing blow, losing 3 of their most popular members and the leader that has carried the group all these years. You can see the shocked reactions of all the members on stage, including the heavy tears from Sakura and Nako, who also bear the weight of leaving their former idol group behind.

At this concert, which took place in October 2018, Sashihara Rino makes a sudden announcement - her "graduation." This is a statement that announces she will be leaving the group to pursue other things. This short clip captures the reactions of the members on stage. This concert is also the last time Sakura and Nako will perform in an HKT48 event for the next 2.5 years while they are in IZONE. The full video is "HKT48 Concert in Tokyo Dome City Hall" - from October 2018.