FORBES JAPAN magazine has recognized Wada Ayaka as one of their "30 UNDER 30 JAPAN 2020" award winners.
https://forbesjapan.com/30under30/Announcing the winners of 30 Under 30 Japan 2020! With Keisuke Honda, Ai Tominaga, HIKAKIN, Chim↑Pom and others, this year's event will feature a full slate of 30 people under the age of 30 who are ready to take the world by storm.
30 UNDER 30 is an award originating from Forbes US that recognizes innovators under the age of 30 who are working in various fields.
Business, art, technology, education, media, music, science, sports, food, and
Each year, the company selects the next generation of young people from a variety of categories, including social entrepreneurs.
Launched in 2011, the program has become a Forbes specialty and
Regional versions are also derived from Asia, Europe and Africa.
Its Japanese version, 30 Under 30 Japan, was born in 2018.
The advisory board and editorial department, which gathered front-runners from various fields, made the selection.
It showcases young, aspiring talent from Japan.
Forbes Japan Article on Wada Ayaka :
"I want more options. The true meaning of Ayaka Wada's "Idol Declaration" #30UNDER30"
An idol sings and dances with a bouncy smile on a gorgeous stage. But once you get off the stage, you're just another person. If you're interested in someone, you want to fall in love, and you want to wear your nails like a grown-up. When my period arrives, I am sometimes unhappy. However, in the world of idols, to deviate from the "ideal idol" is strongly restricted by implicit norms.
On August 1, 2019, on her 25th birthday, Wada Ayaka made a declaration on her blog that garnered a great deal of attention.
'My future is mine to decide, I am a woman and an idol.'
Wada Ayaka is the former leader of the idol groups Angerme and Hello! Project. Even after graduating from the group, Ayaka has declared that she is still an "idol". She has also been active in conveying the appeal of art to the world through contemporary art exhibitions, talks and reviews of Buddhist statues, and articles in literary magazines, as well as being a member of the project "#No Bag For Me", which promotes knowledge and options for menstrual care. She also performs live shows to explore new possibilities for expression.
Art has made her aware of the discomfort in the world of idols, a world she has entered since she was 10 years old, and it is the basis of her philosophy of updating the conventional image of idols.
Selected as one of the winners of the "30 Under 30 Japan 2020" competition, this film traces her awareness of gender issues and her vivid encounter with art as she traces her vision of the future.
She has more to say in the article if anyone wants to translate the rest of the pages.
https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/37668https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/37668/2/1/1https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/37668/3/1/1