Asuka Saitō

Saito was born on August 10, 1998 in Tokyo.[1] Her father is from Japan and her mother is from Myanmar.[2] Saitō debuted as an actress in 2007 in the film Sakuran, playing the protagonist as a child.[3]

In 2011, encouraged by her mother,[4] 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.[5] Saitō became the center member on the 15th Nogizaka46 single, "Hadashi de Summer", in 2016.[6]

Saitō is active as an actress and model outside of Nogizaka46.[7][8] 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.[9][10] In 2015, Saitō became the exclusive model for the fashion magazine CUTiE published by Takarajimasha, which stopped publication in the same year.[11][12][13] Saitō then became a regular model for another fashion magazine from the same publisher, sweet, as the magazine's youngest model since its publication.[14]

In 2017, Gentosha published Saitō's first photobook.[15] Titled Shiosai, the photobook sold 58,215 copies in the first week.[16] As of December 2018, the photobook has sold over 200 thousand copies.[17]

• Nogizaka46 - Official Profile