On April 4th at 3 P.M. JST, AKB48�s Maeda Atsuko (20) made a formal announcement regarding her graduation and her participation in the �AKB48 27th Single General Election� (to be held on June 6th at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo) through AKB48�s official YouTube channel and her Google+ page. Now, it's been revealed that Maeda Atsuko will be official graduating from the group after AKB48's Tokyo Dome concert.

On May 17th, Yasushi Akimoto posted the following on his Google + page:

I was able to hold a meeting with Atsuko Maeda the other day. I had passed her by in places like the studio, but did not have time to sit down and talk to her since that day in Saitama Super Area.

About AKB, her peers, her juniors, her fans, and about her own future�
Though she is not good with words, she shared her sincere thoughts with me.
I was touched to see that the shy 14 year old girl that always hid in a shell had matured into a 20 year old woman, who cared for others and shared those feelings with me.

Although she is still not good with words, because of that I felt I understood her raw and direct feelings.
And the shy expression she shows every now and again is the same �Acchan� I knew.

Anyhow, Atsuko Maeda will be graduating after the Tokyo Dome concert and the AKB theater performance on the following day. (detailed schedule will be announced on a later date.)

Good luck, Atsuko Maeda!!

The Tokyo Dome concert dates have yet to be revealed so when that is announced, we will know the exact date of her graduation.

Source: Yasushi Akimoto's Google +
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]