Kokoa Kai Returns to STU48 as Center, Releases 2nd Photobook
The photobook launch and center announcement together represent Kokoa Kai's renewed leadership push in STU48 after her transfer and return.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
Kokoa Kai, who returned to STU48 this spring after a transfer to KLP48, held a launch event for her second photobook "Okaeri Taiyo" on July 4. She was also named center for the group's 14th single, due September 14. The photobook was shot in Thailand and includes more revealing photos. Kai said she aims to lead the group with her bright and pop style.
Kokoa Kai's second photobook "Okaeri Taiyo" was shot in Phuket and Bangkok earlier this year, using the same photography team as her first book. At the July 4 launch event at Shosen Book Tower in Akihabara, she said the Thailand setting made the book feel cheerful and that it captured the natural side fans love. She also mentioned taking on a more skin-baring "killer cut" in the latter half, a step she described as thrilling but not lewd.
Kai's return to STU48 this spring came after a year-long transfer to Malaysia's KLP48. During the group's 9th anniversary concert in Golden Week, it was announced she would serve as center for the upcoming 14th single, releasing September 14. She said the photobook and center role have given her a sense of resolve to lead the group, and she wants to push forward with brightness and a pop atmosphere rather than conforming to expectations of what STU48 should be.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.