It's been revealed that NMB48 Team M member Ota Riona will be graduating from the group to focus on her studies.

Through NMB48's official website, Ota commented that she faced difficulties after moving to Osaka upon entering high school. She explained, "I did my best by myself, so there were times I was troubled about managing it along with my studies. I started thinking about graduating since 3 months ago."

She continued, "My dream is to become a singer and actress. Right now, I want to devote myself to my studies, make time to reconsider things again, and press on toward my dream from scratch."

Ota passed NMB48's opening member audition back in September of 2010. After about a year as a research student, she was officially chosen as a Team M member in January of 2012.

Just yesterday, we reported that Team M's Fujita Runa has decided to leave the group. NMB48 has made withdrawal announcements for 2 consecutive days. Details on Ota's final performance will be revealed at a later date.

Source & Image: natalie