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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studb
Poor girls.
nath
Shouldn't kiss each other goodnight...
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!
stirfry
in japan ?? impossible
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!
temporaryVisa
Nobody translates Berryz Kobou as Berryz Workshop it's ridiculous.
mrhog123
I suugest they get an injection of Dr. Charles love juice. They will immediately be cured of any and all sickness.
kirakira25
I wonder if they write their own music and design their own costumes.....
thomyorke
Thats what they get for wasting our time with their idol act.
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.
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.
marzipan
one flu over the patch of berryz
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.
combinibento
These girls can't hold a flame to Hannah Montana!!
inakaRob
kinda messed up the quote thing in the above comment. oh well you get the point
inakaRob
@yourock (yes i do but you dont)
Justuju
Maybe that it is time to diversify the group with some boys .... they are more resistant to influenza virus ;-)
Disillusioned
And, how many more people dd they give it to while spitting their lyrics out on stage?
DenDon
I hopz they all getz betterz soon. poor berryz
franz75
when all j-pop and talento related people will have the A flu, Japan will be really quite...
kokorocloud
It makes it sound like ALL of them had it at the exact same time. Sheesh. Anyway, I hope they get well soon.
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.
meloveulongtime
I likey very much!