Mirei Sasaki
Mirei Sasaki is a Japanese singer, model, actress, and reporter. She is an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Non-no and a former founding member of the Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46.
Sasaki has appeared in dramas such as Women's Gourmet Burger Club and Kakegurui Twin, and starred in Koeharu!. She is also a lifestyle reporter for the Nippon TV morning show ''ZIP!''
Early life
Sasaki was born in Kanagawa Prefecture and raised in Hyōgo Prefecture. She lived in Taiwan for four years as a child and can speak Mandarin Chinese.Career
2013−2025: Early career and Hinatazaka46
In 2013, Sasaki became a founding member of the Osaka-based local idol group. She left the group on November 1, 2015.On 11 May 2016, Sasaki passed the auditions for new members of Keyakizaka46's subgroup Hiragana Keyakizaka46, now known as Hinatazaka46, which was hosted on the streaming platform Showroom. Sasaki, along with ten other people that passed the audition, joined Neru Nagahama in Hiragana Keyakizaka46 and was known as the "first generation". Her first concert occurred on 28 October of the same year at Akasaka Blitz, where she performed Kanji Keyakizaka46's songs "Silent Majority" and "Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai", as well as Hiragana Keyakizaka46's own "Hiragana Keyaki".
During her time at Hiragana Keyakizaka46, she has consistently appeared in every single between "Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai" and "Kuroi Hitsuji". She also appeared in every Hinatazaka46 single to date and a Sakamichi AKB song, "Hatsukoi Door", which included select members from the Sakamichi Series.
Sasaki served as center for the main songs on two of Hiragana Keyakizaka46 and Hinatazaka46's studio albums, "Kitai Shitenai Jibun" on Hashiridasu Shunkan and "Azato Kawaii" on Hinatazaka. Hashiridasu Shunkan also included her solo song, "Wazukana Hikari".
On 6 January 2025, Sasaki and fellow first generation members Kumi Sasaki and Mana Takase announced that they would part ways with Hinatazaka46 after the promotions for the upcoming 13th single have concluded, marking the end of the founding first generation's tenure in the group. Her graduation ceremony took place on April 6 at the Yokohama Stadium as part of the 6th Hinatansai anniversary concert.
Other ventures
Sasaki portrayed the main character in the music video of Aimer's 2019 song "Hanabiratachi no March". In February 2019, she became an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Non-no. On 18 September 2019, Sasaki hosted the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards Japan along with fellow Hinatazaka46 members Kumi Sasaki, Nao Kosaka, and Miho Watanabe.As a bread lover, Sasaki hosted her first self-titled special program Kaiten! Mīpan Bakery on TV Asahi CS 1. In April 2020, she became a regular lifestyle reporter for the "Kiterune!" segment of the long-running Nippon TV morning show, '. She also appeared in the TV Tokyo drama ' and as Mikura Sado in the live-action series adaptation of Kakegurui Twin, and starred in the Hinatazaka46 drama Koeharu!. In 2022, she co-starred in the television series Piece of Cake on Nippon TV, which was adapted into a stage play in January 2023. In March 2023, she co-starred as Yor Forger in the stage adaptation of best-selling manga Spy × Family.
Sasaki's first photobook, titled 2=陽射しのパレード, would be published on December 17, 2024, her twenty-fifth birthday, by Shueisha. It was photographed in Da Nang, Vietnam, and made with the theme of "sparkling happiness".
2025−present: Solo career
In June, Non-no magazine announced that Sasaki would end her exclusive modeling contract after 6.5 years, with a final appearance in its September 2025 issue. On July 1, Sasaki announced that she had joined the Queen-B talent agency, which had also represented fellow former Hinatazaka46 member Miho Watanabe since 2022.Personal life
Sasaki enjoys fishing with her family and holds a class 2 small boat license.Discography
Keyakizaka46 albums
The songs listed below are not included in any singles above.| Year | Album | Song | Notes |
| 2017 | Masshiro na Mono wa Yogoshitaku naru | "Eien no Hakusen" | |
| 2017 | Masshiro na Mono wa Yogoshitaku naru | "Taiyou wa Miageru Hito o Erabanai" | |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Kitai Shitenai Jibun" | Center |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Wazuka na Hikari" | Solo |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Halloween no Kabocha ga Wareta" | |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Knock o Suru na!" | |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Oide Natsu no Kyoukaisen" | |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Yakusoku no Tamago" | |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Sharin ga Kishimu you ni Kimi ga Naku" | |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Konna Seiretsu o Dare ga Saseru no ka?" | |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Sanrinsha ni Noritai" | Duet with Memi Kakizaki |
| 2018 | Hashiridasu Shunkan | "Hiragana de Koishitai" |
Hinatazaka46 albums
The songs listed below are not included in any singles above.| Year | Album | Song | Notes |
| 2020 | "Hinatazaka" | "Azato Kawaii" | Center |
| 2020 | "Hinatazaka" | "My fans" | Center |
| 2020 | "Hinatazaka" | "Tada Gamushara ni" | |
| 2020 | "Hinatazaka" | "Dōshite Amedato Ittan darō?" | |
| 2020 | "Hinatazaka" | "Hinatazaka" | |
| 2023 | "" | "Kimi wa Zero kara Ichi ni Nare" | |
| 2023 | "" | "Saisho no Byakuya" |