Ai Kago Breaks Silence on Bar Scandal: ‘I Was Helping, Not Entertaining at the Bar!’

Singer Ai Kago quickly responded to allegations of entertaining guests at a bar.

On May 28, Shueisha released the interview with Kago. In the interview, Kago denied the allegations of entertaining guests.

Kago started, “I can’t stand it anymore and want to tell my side of the story.” She lamented, “I was helping at my younger sister’s bar. I explained everything to the reporter, but they reported it one-sidedly.”

Kago mentioned that the media sought an interview with her late at night, pressing for a swift reply, and there were occasions when a reporter mistakenly identified her younger sister as her. She found these situations bothersome. She decided to proceed with the interview to prevent any distortion of the truth if she delayed further.

She also explained why she started working at her sister’s bar. She said, “My husband’s health was deteriorating, and I didn’t have any other work. Even if it wasn’t in the entertainment industry, I thought I wanted to do whatever work I could do now.” She clarified, “My younger sister had opened a bar, and I decided to help. I only worked at the bar counter when friends or acquaintances visited.”

A media outlet released images of Kago at a bar, raising suspicions that she was entertaining guests.

A nearby restaurant worker mentioned that Kago works at a bar on the 9th floor of the building, where she entertains guests.

Former member of Morning Musume, Kago was criticized for various rumors, including connections with the Yakuza, smoking as a minor, and premarital pregnancy, to name a few.

Kago married in 2011 after becoming pregnant before marriage but divorced in 2015. She remarried in 2016 and gave birth to her second child.