September 8, 2017 - Former Country Girls member Inaba Manaka to resume activities
On September 8, it was announced through the Hello! Project website that Inaba Manaka would be resuming activities within Hello! Project.
According to the official statements given by herself and management, Inaba's asthma has been stabilized since spring, and she eagerly held talks with UP-FRONT PROMOTION about resuming activities. The official statements went on to say that she would be joining Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido as the leader, and that she will also be pursuing independent activities in Sapporo, with the first event to mark her "new start" being the Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido Teiki Kouen Vol.4 held on September 18, 2017.
In addition to the announcement, she has been added to Hello! Project's artist page as a soloist, and has also started her own blog which can be found here.
Inaba Manaka was previously a member of the Country Musume reboot group Country Girls, which she joined on November 5, 2014. She graduated from the group on August 4, 2016 after having been on hiatus since April 28 of that year due to asthma.
September 6, 2017 - Kobushi Factory's Ogawa Rena has decided to graduate
On September 6, an official notice was posted to the Hello! Project website, stating that Ogawa Rena had decided to graduate from both Kobushi Factory and Hello! Project due to her ongoing health struggles.
Earlier on July 13, it was announced that Ogawa had been diagnosed with anxiety neurosis, and therefore wouldn't be able to participate in the group's activities at least until mid-August while she received treatment, however on August 16, it was further announced that her condition hadn't shown any signs of improvement, and her physical state had become "unstable".
While the official statement released by UP-FRONT PROMOTION explained that she decided to graduate following talks with her doctor, in a blog posted the same day Ogawa further explained that during her hiatus she had thought about her life and realized she wanted to set out on new dreams. She expressed gratitude towards the fans and members of Kobushi Factory, and regret in the way she graduated. She asks the fans of Kobushi Factory - the "Kobushi-gumi" - to accept her as a fellow fan and remember her as Kobushi Factory's airhead.
Ogawa joined Hello! Project in June 2011 as a Hello Pro Egg member, alongside Otsuka Aina and Mogi Minami. After training for nearly four years, Ogawa went on to form Kobushi Factory in January 2015 alongside 7 other Hello Pro Kenshuusei.
When Miyamoto went back to the doctor on July 25, she was diagnosed with functional dysphonia. Even when only dancing and mimicking her solo parts during the weekend concerts, she had difficulty breathing. In order to recover, all work that requires her voice, such as lives and events, will be canceled until further notice.
On August 28, an update was delivered, stating that Miyamoto would return to the Juice=Juice LIVE AROUND 2017 ~Seven Horizon~ tour on August 31 and is also scheduled to appear in the last Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER concert and in the upcoming Juice=Juice LIVE AROUND 2017 ~World Tour~.
