Komori Mika Also Announces Graduation Tonight

AKB48 Umeda Team B's Komori Mika has also announced her graduation tonight during the show in the AKB48 Theater, just mere minutes after SKE48's Hioki Miki and Itou Akane announced theirs at the SKE48 Theater. The reason she gave for graduating is that she wants to go overseas to study. Currently her graduation date is undecided.

Komori Mika was from the 7th Generation of AKB48 Kenkyuusei, where she was the first ever kenkyuusei to enter Senbatsu in AKB48's 12th Single Namida Surprise!. She debuted on December 2008, and got promoted on 21st May 2010 to Team B, later joining Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 on June 2010. This is her 4th year in AKB48.

Komori Mika did not apply to be a participant of the AKB48 32nd Single Senbatsu Election, but ranked 30th, 32nd, and 64th during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Senbatsu Elections. Her withdrawal from AKB48 would mean that Watarirouka Hashiritai will be 1 member short of 7.


Komori Mika's graduation speech (Translation by Bilingual48)
https://plus.google.com/103388469578205010447/posts/AALYisirsqZ

I, Komori Mika, am graduating from AKB48.
I started thinking about my future when the new senbatsu election system was announced.
I've been here for 4 years, and I was thinking about approaching the future the way I have always been, then I realized the path I want to take is not the same as AKB48.
I want to see more of the world, and when I graduated high school I wish I had worked harder.
I graduated with the determination to study abroad, which has been one of my dreams.
I moved here from Aichi when I was in 8th grade, and I have learned a lot from everything good and bad I went through.
The experiences from these 4 years are not something easily obtained and they are my treasures.
I am here today because of the support from all the fans, staff, family, friends and members.
I am going to go after my new goal.
I haven't decided what will happen when I go abroad, but I would be grateful if you will keep supporting me.
I also haven't decided on details of the graduation, so I will go out giving my best and keeping up my smiles to pay back all the support I have received from you. Please keep watching over me.