Chinami Tokunaga, 17, and Yurina Kumai, 16, of all-girl J-pop group Berryz Workshop, were missing at the group’s shows in Nagoya on Saturday and in Osaka on Sunday. The remaining five members put on a dazzling performance but some fans demanded to know where Tokunaga and Kumai were. Inquiries later revealed that the pair were at home and have caught the influenza A virus.
The latest two cases mean that the whole group have had the flu recently, after captain Saki Shimizu, 17, Momoko Tsugunaga, 17, Miyabi Natsuyaki, 17, Maasa Sudo, 17, and Risako Sugaya, 15, all came down with influenza last month.
According to their agency Hello! Project, Tokunaga complained of not feeling well last Wednesday, and was told the next day at a hospital in Kanagawa that she’d need five days rest. Kumai fell ill last Friday while she was in Nagoya for the weekend’s show, and was diagnosed with influenza the following day.
Tokunaga and Kumai are scheduled to return to the line-up for their show at the Shibuya CC Lemon Hall in Tokyo this Sunday. A staff member at Hello! Project denied that the girls got sick from in-group transmission, and said they were infected separately due to their many appearances in public.
© Japan Today
23 Comments
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meloveulongtime
I likey very much!
yourock
shouldn't 15,16, and 17 year old girls be at school, getting an education for the rest of their lifes? The J public like their 'idols' young, which could explain other 'off topic' things.
kokorocloud
It makes it sound like ALL of them had it at the exact same time. Sheesh. Anyway, I hope they get well soon.
franz75
when all j-pop and talento related people will have the A flu, Japan will be really quite...
DenDon
I hopz they all getz betterz soon. poor berryz
Disillusioned
And, how many more people dd they give it to while spitting their lyrics out on stage?
Justuju
Maybe that it is time to diversify the group with some boys .... they are more resistant to influenza virus ;-)
inakaRob
@yourock (yes i do but you dont)
inakaRob
kinda messed up the quote thing in the above comment. oh well you get the point
combinibento
These girls can't hold a flame to Hannah Montana!!
PepinGalarga
I'm sure that these entertainers get some basic education, because in Japan if you don't graduate from High School you are considered illiterate.
The headline should be changed to sound less sensationalistic.
marzipan
one flu over the patch of berryz
gogogo
Seriously? 6 million other people have the flu but one girls group targeted to middle age men get the flu and it's national news.
nath
High school is not mandatory here. That is a shame. Everyone should be entitled to a free High School to attend. Lots of people take off days for modeling etc. here and in other countries. They might as well make some money while they are young a cute, as there will come a day when no one wants to see them any more.
thomyorke
Thats what they get for wasting our time with their idol act.
kirakira25
I wonder if they write their own music and design their own costumes.....
mrhog123
I suugest they get an injection of Dr. Charles love juice. They will immediately be cured of any and all sickness.
temporaryVisa
Nobody translates Berryz Kobou as Berryz Workshop it's ridiculous.
nath
"there will come a day when no one wants to see them any more" Well, they might prolong that day if they were to stop "acting" like they were still 12 and do some real music!
stirfry
in japan ?? impossible
blvtzpk
It's like when Spinal Tap all contracted herpes at the same time (see the DVD extras).
Rock 'n' roll, eh? What a life!
nath
Shouldn't kiss each other goodnight...
studb
Poor girls.