Asuka Saitō (齋藤 飛鳥（さいとう あすか）, Saitō Asuka; born August 10, 1998) is a Japanese actress, model, and television presenter. She is a former first generation member of the idol girl group Nogizaka46 and a regular model for the fashion magazine sweet.
As an actress, her lead roles have included Mana Hayase in the Japanese remake of the Taiwanese film You Are the Apple of My Eye and Midori Asakusa in both the film and television adaptations of the manga Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!.
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Early life
Saitō was born on August 10, 1998, in Katsushika, Tokyo, to a Burmese mother and Japanese father. She has two older brothers.
When Saitō was in her latter years of elementary school, she was bullied by her classmates and, despite reaching out, received no help from her teachers, prompting her to stop attending school for a period of time. This resulted in a withdrawn personality as a consequence, which she eventually overcame after joining Nogizaka46.
Career
Early career: child actress
Saitō debuted as an actress in 2007 in the film Sakuran, playing the protagonist as a child. She had also appeared in a number of commercials.
2011–2023: Nogizaka46
In 2011, encouraged by her mother she auditioned for [then] an upcoming J-pop idol girl group, she successfully passed the audition for the first generation of idol group Nogizaka46, debuting as an idol on the group's first single "Guruguru Curtain" in February 2012. Saitō became the center member on the 15th Nogizaka46 single, "Hadashi de Summer", in 2016.
In 2015, Saitō became the exclusive model for the fashion magazine CUTiE published by Takarajimasha, which stopped publication in the same year. Saitō then became a regular model for another fashion magazine from the same publisher, sweet, as the magazine's youngest model since its publication.
In 2017, Gentosha published Saitō's first photobook. Titled Shiosai, the photobook sold 58,215 copies in the first week. As of December 2018, the photobook has sold over two-hundred thousand copies.
Saitō announced her graduation from Nogizaka46 on November 4, 2022. She would stay in the group until the end of 2022 and plans a graduation concert in 2023. She is the penultimate first generation member to leave the group. Asuka officially graduated from the group on December 31, 2022, and her graduation concert took place on May 17–18, 2023, at the Tokyo Dome, attended by about 100 thousand people.
Acting
Saitō was active as an actress and model outside of Nogizaka46. She has played lead roles in the Japanese remake of the Taiwanese film You Are the Apple of My Eye and the NTV horror drama Zambi. After departing from Nogizaka46, Saitō returned to full-time acting. In March 2023, it was announced that she would portray Riko in the crime and suspense film Side by Side directed by Chihiro Ito.
On January 9, 2023, it was revealed that Saitō was cast for both the film and television drama live-action adaptation of the manga My Home Hero as Reika Tosu, an 18-year-old college student trapped in an abusive relationship at the start of the story and who later becomes a police investigator after a timeskip. The movie is scheduled to air in March 2024.
In January 23, 2024, it was announced that she is also set to star as Ai Hoshino for the live-action film adaptation of the manga Oshi no Ko.
On January 21, 2025, she won the Newcomer of the Year award at the 48th Japan Academy Film Prize for her role in Oshi no Ko: The Final Act. On June 8, Saitō was officially appointed as the ambassador for the "National Green and Flower Fair Katsushika," held in her hometown of Katsushika Ward. On July 5 of the same year, she launched her first solo variety talk show, Saito Asuka's Let's Drink and Go Home Tonight, which began airing on the Nippon Television Network.
