BREAKING: MINAMO Retires!

Catch up on the most trending gossip that we had our eyes on in June

Well, what was just a distant rumor of sorts has finally been made official.

MINAMO has announced that she will retire from the JAV industry this December.

And these headlines came directly from a newly released video on her YouTube channel, ending months of speculation about what many fans had already started suspecting. Honestly, when I heard the announcement, I wasn't particularly shocked because the signs had been there for a while.

In fact, when her recent photoshoot event was first announced, I remember mentioning that retirement felt increasingly likely. Not because she was losing fans or because she was lacking opportunities

It is quite the opposite, actually. MINAMO had simply become too busy to the point that she was overwhelmed with work.

Over the past year or two, her activities outside the traditional JAV industry have expanded rapidly. Collabing with brands. New ventures. Opportunities continued to grow to the point where filming JAV almost felt like it was becoming harder and harder to fit into her schedule.

Eventually, after rounds of discussions with her agency, she made the decision to quit JAV. So it was evident she'd thank them: "To everyone at SOD who took me in, to everyone at T-Powers who helped me grow, and above all, to all my fans who have continued to support me, thank you so much for these past five and a half years. I hope that, from now on, we can all continue to do lots of fun things together. I won’t let you all down. I plan to keep working, so please continue to support me from here on out. That’s all from me."

Looking back, she had been dropping hints for a few months.

Apparently, some fans first became aware of the possibility around February while working with her on TRE-related projects. At the time, there was still hope of more together. Plans were discussed, and the desire was certainly there. Fortunately, a small opening appeared in April. The dates aligned, and MINAMO happened to be available. Everything felt so smooth.

Which is why that photoshoot event featuring Minamo ended up being promoted as a genuine "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity. Because, unlike previous farewell events where people only discovered the retirement afterward, this one was organized with full awareness that the end was approaching.

Even her studio SOD gave her a fitting tribute by dedicating a special webpage to their departing poster girl. The minute you open it, you're greeted with a pic of her captioned as "Retiring in 2026". As one scrolls down, one can find her announcement clip embedded, in which she announces her retirement. Further down, there are multiple events lined up, and her past appearances get a mention too. As an easter surprise, there is this exclusive 5th anniversary JAV that SOD has produced on the occasion of MINAMO's anniversary that can be purchased from FANZA & other stockists.

As for what comes next, I’m not really aware how full her hands are at the moment, but MINAMO isn't slowing down at all. If anything, she sounds ready to become even busier in the YouTube announcement. She began with, "I will be retiring as an AV actress as of December 2026. Even though I’m saying I’m retiring, um, it’s just my AV career that I’m retiring from. I’m currently planning to continue my other activities from now on. Or rather, I’ll definitely keep them going. And, as for events and such, I’d like to hold them every month if possible, so I’ll be doing that a bit going forward as well. So, I’d be happy if you’d come see me at those events too."

She urged her fans to participate in her future events: "Also, from now until December, I’ll be holding events at Certe locations nationwide, so I’ll post the schedule in the description section. I’d be really happy if you could come see me during this time leading up to my retirement."

According to her plans, retirement from AV will allow her to focus more heavily on mainstream media opportunities, on-screen appearances, and other professional ventures outside JAV.

That feels completely consistent with the trajectory she's been on lately because if you've followed her career over the past few years, you've probably noticed the same thing I did. MINAMO was never content with a solo profession. She was always up to something. Always trying out new things.

Which is why, despite the sadness that naturally comes with losing a talented actress, this retirement doesn't feel like an ending. It feels more like a transitional phase for her fans.

Of course, it's still a shame. MINAMO brought a unique combination of beauty, versatility, and professionalism that allowed her to thrive across an incredible range of projects.

But perhaps that's exactly why this next step feels so natural. Some performers leave the industry searching for what comes next. MINAMO already seems to know where she's going.

As a parting statement, MINAMO asked her fans to remember her: "It’s been five and a half years as an AV actress, and thanks to the support of so many people, my AV career has been quite fulfilling. I wonder how many people I was able to entertain, but I’d be happy if you could keep me in your hearts and not forget that I was there. "

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