18-Year-Old Japanese Pop Idol Confirms Pregnancy With Manager

It seems like a scandal has just rocked the idol fandom in Japan. Not long ago, an 18-year-old high school idol confirmed on Twitter that she is expecting her first child with her manager, and fans are freaking out.

Asuka Kiraboshi announced on social media she is expecting her first child with her 22-year-old manager (via ANN). The singer confirmed she has been dating her manager for the last two years, and she intends to carry on her work as an idol.

"I have become pregnant. I had no intentions of hiding it. I think that there will be lots of people who see this and will be surprised," the idol wrote.

"I think there are a lot of people who will move away from Asuka, but Asuka will not stop the activities that she has done until now. From now on I will try my hardest along with the child in my stomach!"

Kiraboshi is best-known for her work with the idol group Star Birth. The singer left the group last October, and she told fans she had an exciting announcement to make earlier in December. Many thought the singer was simply working on a solo album, but it turns out Kiraboshi will be welcoming a bundle of joy instead.

Sadly, the singer has drawn the ire of many idol netizens for her secret relationship and pregnancy. Fans were quick to attack Kiraboshi's manager and questioned whether they could continue to support the idol moving forward. The singer's manager tweeted an apology to fans for the scandal as well as causing fans pain. However, he did admit he feels deeply happy about becoming a father and looks forward to his next stage in life with Kiraboshi.

If you are not familiar with idol culture, then you should know an announcement such as this is a rare one. In Japan and South Korea, idols are very closely monitored by their agencies and expected to be paragons of exemplary behavior. Idols can cause a scandal just by looking at fans the wrong way, but Kiraboshi hopes her honesty with fans will endear supporters as she prepares to become a mother.

We send our congratulations to the expecting couple! Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!