Neru Nagahama shocks fans with tattoo in semi-nude comeback photo book

Former Keyakizaka46 music idol Neru Nagahama is back with a new photo book, a self-titled release from major publication Kodansha on July 15.

The 26-year-old has not published a photo book in eight years.

The Nagasaki native was seen as a rising star in the idol world in the late 2010s, with her first photo book going through a reprint. The alluring shower pics surely helped.

Recent years have been leaner ones for Nagahama since leaving Keyakizaka46 in 2019, though she remains connected to the idol industry though a position with Tokyo Idol Festival, and her first photo book was remembered fondly enough to inspire a porn parody in 2024.

Like that popular debut release, Neru Nagahama features the idol in many semi-nude poses that reveal plenty of side boob and cleavage in swimwear and a loose white shirt.

Fans were stunned to see that Neru has a tattoo on her body, which some have seen as a betrayal of her girl-next-door looks. (Tattoos have a complex status in Japan. Though more accepted today, they were long associated with criminality and rebellious personalities.)

The tattoo in question is a small heart outline on her side, alluringly placed just below her left breast. It is clearly visible in pictures featured in the new photo book.

This has led to some review bombing. As of writing, most of the reviews on Amazon Japan are negative 1-star write-ups.

Netizens have been doing their usual thing of digitally removing clothing items to make the model or idol seem nuder, though have chosen to do so with shots where the tattoo is not visible.

This controversy, which has sparked not just netizen outrage but news articles, will either help boost sales or doom the release to flop status. A reprint seems unlikely, based on the current mood. Nagahama, her team, and Kodansha must have known that the tattoo would spark a mixed reaction, to say the least. Personally we think the tattoo is quite sexy.

Obviously hoping to turn a new leaf and present herself as a more mature idol, Nagahama is concentrating these days on her acting career in TV dramas as well as her relationship with the actor Nobuyuki Suzuki.