On January 4th, the AKB48 Theater in Tokyo opened its doors again after the holidays. Furthermore, it marked the official return of Oba Mina as a member of AKB48 and the captain of� Team 4.

Oba had been suspended from her activities since September 2nd, after her old blog entries revealed that she had a boyfriend and had consumed alcohol. On November 12th, she appeared at a handshake event and once again apologized to the fans. She also asked the fans to let her join the group again, which was warmly accepted by them.

Now she made her official return with the following message by their producer, Akimoto Yasushi: "During her suspension, Oba more so than ever was able the magnificence of being a member of AKB48 and the importance of the fans. For this reason, she shall be integrated into the group again."

In tears, Oba bowed to her fans and said, "I'm acknowledging the sad fact that I caused a lot of trouble for everyone. I think of this as my last chance. Whether you want to call it the time for repayment or atonement, I'm going to tackle it with my utmost effort."

The fans and the other members, including the deputy captain Shimada Haruka, welcomed her warmly. Towards the latter, Oba vowed, "We are going to lead Team 4 together!"

Source: Nikkan Sports