Kago Ai



Ai Kago (加護 亜依, Kago Ai?, born February 7, 1988 in Yamatotokada, Nara, Japan) is a J-pop singer, actress, author and Guinness Book of World Records breaking hula hoop player.

At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audtion of Morning Musume held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000, which led to her admission into the extremely popular girl band as a 4th generation member. In the same year, she became a founding member of Mini Moni. In 2004, she graduated from both the aforementioned groups and formed W with Nozomi Tsuji.

In 2006, photos of the under-age Kago Ai smoking were leaked by the media. As a result, she was immediately suspended for one year by Up-Front Works Agency. In 2007, toward the end of her suspension, she was caught once again smoking and was found to be romantically involved with a 37-year-old man. This resulted in her contract being terminated permanently. After a hiatus that lasted a year, she signed a contract with R&A Promotions Co.,Ltd and resumed her career as an actress and a singer.

Name
Kago's given name, "Ai", is a homonym for love (愛, ai?). Kago has sometimes said in interviews that she was named that by her parents because she was conceived out of wedlock. Written "亜依" it has no real meaning.

Hello Project
At age 12, Kago (along with Tsuji Nozomi) won the National Audition of Morning Musume held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000. Kago's recording debut in Morning Musume's ninth single "Happy Summer Wedding".

Kago and Tsuji's addition to the group received positive critical response. With an increasing fan base, they formed a subgroup with fellow Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi and Coconuts Musume member Mika Todd named MiniMoni. In addition to this, Kago was also admitted into another subgroup Tanpopo as a second generation member.

Kago also participated in a number of other shuffle groups (short term groups organized within the Hello! Project), including 3nin Matsuri (2001), Happy 7 (2002) and Salt5 (2003).

In August 2004, Kago Ai and Tsuji Nozomi graduated from Morning Musume together, whereas MiniMoni began their indefinite hiatus. Under the arrangement of the Up-Front Works Agency, Kago and Tsuji formed a new pop duo, W, which released an EP, and six singles.

Scandal
On February 9, 2006 it was confirmed that the magazine Friday (フライデー, Friday?) (the same one that provoked Mari Yaguchi's sudden departure from Morning Musume) would publish photos showing Kago smoking. The legal age for smoking in Japan is 20, and Kago had just turned 18 two days prior to the incident. On February 10, Hello! Project issued a press statement saying that the singer had been suspended "indefinitely."

According to an interview in the March 9, 2007 issue of Friday–the very same magazine responsible for her suspension–Kago revealed she had been serving tea, answering phones and doing assorted secretarial work at the Up-Front Works agency since January 23, 2007, when her employers found it fit for her to return to Tokyo, after she spent most of 2006 secluded at her family's residence in Nara.

In the same interview the young idol claimed to have had undergone several changes in regard to her outlook on life, to have become more responsible. Additionally she met up with the other members for the first time at Yokohama Arena, after a lengthy period of time, though the group couldn't quite recognize her at first, given the fact she had lost some weight.

The agency said that they were working on her comeback, though the details were not clear.

On March 26, 2007 following a newly publicized scandal involving Kago dating a 37-year-old man as well as smoking again, it was announced by the Up Front Agency that her contract had been cancelled. An English translation of the announcement:

“To whom it may concern:

Regarding our client Kago Ai and the article in the weekly magazine that went on sale on March 26th, the information in the article has been verified with Kago herself, to our regret.

One year ago, when Kago was 17 and the smoking problem happened, we still considered her future in this company, and as punishment, she was imposed to house arrest in her parents' home. Seeing how she had progressed over that year, it was decided to start from scratch and start preparing for a comeback by bringing her to Tokyo and having her do clerical and other office duties, starting on January 23rd. Although this worked out well for two months, there was another incident and the comeback plan was abandoned. After consulting with the family, as she is a minor, it has been confirmed, and she has been released from her contract.

We're very sorry that it has come to this, and accept full responsibility.

We feel a renewed sense of responsibility for the future, especially when it comes to minors.

2007/3/26 Kawaguchi Yuukichi, Representative Director, Up Front Agency ”

Post-Hello! Project Life
On May 5, 2007, the Tokyo Broadcasting System's newscast reported that Kago's mother was trying to sign her to a new talent agency in her hometown of Nara.

On August 25, 2007, an interview with Kago's mother in the magazine Josei Seven revealed that after parting company with Hello! Project, Ai Kago left Japan and started residing in New York City.

On April 6, 2008, it was reported by Yahoo! News that Kago was returning to the entertainment industry. Also, in an interview by OhmyNews, Kago admitted that she had begun smoking to feel more like an adult without realizing the impact it would have on her peers and young fans. She stated that she had actually not gone to New York, but rather to Los Angeles for three months in 2007 with her boyfriend. She said she took the trip because she felt like a criminal in Japan. While in LA she met many new people who encouraged her (including Winona Ryder) and was able to reflect on her situation and begin her new life. She also admitted to having considered suicide and having inflicted self-injury upon herself by cutting her wrists. At the end of the interview, Kago states that even though she is now 20 years old and can legally smoke cigarettes, she no longer does or has any desire to do so.

On April 24, 2008, Ai Kago announced on her personal blog website, "Biscuit Club", that she will be appearing in Hong Kong movie Kung Fu Chef with Sammo Hung.

As an hula hoop performer
Kago and Tsuji shared the world record for the largest hula hoop spun at 4.08 m (13 ft 4+1⁄2 in) in diameter. They set their record on January 1, 2004, during a live New Year's Day television special at Nippon Television Network, Tokyo, Japan. The record appeared in the 2005 and 2006 editions of the Guinness Book of World Records and was the second time that she and Tsuji have held the record, having previously held the record between January 2003 and June 2003. The record was eventually broken by Ashrita Furman (USA) in September 2005.

As an Author
On August 25, 2008, Ai Kago released a book entitled "Kago Ai LIVE ~ Kago Ai no Miseinen Hakusho" On a July 13, 2008 post to her personal blog website, "Biscuit Club", Ai Kago describes the book as "a book where I talk to young teens about their various troubles and dreams. Idols-in-waiting, exchange students, high school girls, otaku. The teenage years can be tough, and I had a lot of troubles in those days. But it's important to break through those troubles."

Trivia

 * Kago was crowned the kusojo ("crap girl") of Morning Musume after finishing last in the Mechaike Okajo Taiikusai Special (also known as the Mechaike Okajo Sports Festival).
 * A character she often draws is a cupid-like girl who is usually flying and winking. She uses it mostly for her signatures.
 * According to Arina Tanemura, the hairstyle of Mitsuki Koyama from her manga Full Moon O Sagashite was modelled after Kago when she was in Mini Moni.
 * She is the youngest person to join Morning Musume, as she turned 12 just two months prior to joining. There have been other girls to join when they were 12 (such as Asuka Fukuda, Nozomi Tsuji and later Risa Niigaki and Koharu Kusumi), but they were only a couple of months away from turning 13. It is unlikely that Kago's record will be broken due to new age requirements.

Filmography

 * Pinch Runner (2000) (Brief appearance just before the credits, with other 4th gen members.)
 * Mini Moni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibōken! (2002)

Dramas

 * Angel Hearts (2002)
 * Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho (こちら本池上署, Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho) (2002)
 * Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 2 (こちら本池上署 2, Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 2) (2003)
 * Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 3 (こちら本池上署 3, Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 3) (2004)
 * Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 4 (こちら本池上署 4, Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 4) (2004)
 * Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 5 (こちら本池上署 5, Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 5) (2005)
 * Mini Moni's Brementown Musicians (ミニモニ. でブレーメンの音楽隊, Mini Moni's Brementown Musicians?) (2005)

T.V. Shows

 * Hello! Morning (ハロー! モーニング., Hello! Morning) (2000–2006)
 * Futarigoto (二人ゴト, Futarigoto)

Publications
Kago Ai LIVE ~Kago Ai no Miseinen Hakusho, published by メディア・クライス in August, 2008, 175 pages. ISBN 978-4778803384