With the Christmas season here, management asks for sensitivity regarding one specific topic.

To many fans, a big part of the appeal of idol music is the genre’s sense of community and feeling of emotional connection with performers. At the same time, though, many idol singers are still very young, especially at the time of their debut, and so it’s important for fans to be respectful when interacting with the members of the group, whether in-person or online.

It’s against that backdrop that the official Twitter account of four-member idol unit Idol Kyoshitsu New has made a clear request for fans regarding their treatment of member Seira Umegawa. Umegawa is the youngest member of the group, and is currently in the sixth year of elementary school, corresponding to the age of 11 or 12 in the Japanese school system. With her tender age in mind, Idol Kyoshitsu New’s management has called for consideration in discussing a very sensitive topic.

The statement reads:

An important announcement regarding Seira Umegwa

Thank you all for your continued kind support of Idol Kyoshitsu New.

Seira Umegawa is currently in the sixth grade, and we are informing everyone that as of the time of this writing, November 25, 2024, she believes in Santa Claus.

We apologize for the suddenness of this, but following discussions between the other members of the group and Umegawa’s parents, we are requesting that fans conduct themselves, in words and actions, with the presumption that Santa Claus exists.

The statement goes on to explain that while Umegawa’s social medica accounts are managed by her parents, the group is still asking for fans to maintain a Santa Claus-is-real atmosphere in their online reactions, The management is also asking fans to refrain from discussing this request with Umegawa directly, as well as to avoid the topic, and debates as to the existence of Santa Claus, when interacting with other members of the group at in-person fan events when Umegawa is within earshot.

Idol Kyoshitsu New’s management acknowledges that this may be an imposition upon fans, but asks for their support in allowing Umegawa retain her current beliefs. Taking a look at replies to the request, the response has been overwhelmingly kindhearted, with reactions including:

“I mean, yeah, of course, because Santa is real.”
“Aa long as you believe in Santa, he’s real.”
“He’ll be coming to the houses of purehearted people again this year.”
“He comes to my house every year (this’ll be his 29th visit).”
“There’s even a Santa Village in Finland.”
“You can track his Christmas Eve flight on the NORAD website.”
“When you wake up on Christmas morning, there’s a present waiting for you, right? So there’s no reason to think Santa isn’t real.”

Non-believers may think that the sooner kids’ abandon their belief in Santa, the better. With idol music being built on themes of hope and dreams, though, Idol Kyoshitsu New’s way of handling the situation doesn’t feel out of line.

Source: Twitter/@idolclass_new via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso
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