NGT48 member Kato Minami has been demoted to a kenkyuusei (research student) after writing an impertinent comment on social media. 

NGT48 management apologized regarding this behavior on the group's official website.  As a result, they have stopped all members' from using their social media accounts until they can thoroughly guide the members into using the accounts properly. 

On May 20, Kato posted a photo on Instagram of a news program reporting about former NGT48 member Yamaguchi Maho's graduation concert saying, "I'm getting my nails done. Please change the channel." Although the post itself has been deleted, some users took a screenshot of it and shared it on various social media sites. 

After receiving this punishment, Kato released a comment stating, "I am very sorry to have hurt many people due to my thoughtless post. I saw the news at the nail salon and became sad. I was thinking about sharing with my friends only, but accidentally shared it with everybody. Even though I wanted to share it with my close friends, it was a post in which I didn't think about others' feelings. I will take another look at myself and think about what I have done. From now on, I hope to carry out my activities while being responsible for everything. Again, I am very sorry."

Source & Image: natalie