COCORO exposes agency for forcing exit from ME:I by falsely diagnosing her with BPD and fabricating misconduct

You know, I told myself when I came back that I was gonna limit the amount of lengthy recaps on situations I’d engage in, and yet.

Anyway, towards the end of 2025 it was announced that four members of the formerly 11-member girl group ME:I would be leaving. While the group was formed by the show Produce 101 Japan The Girls, ME:I was created to be a permanent group, so for it to be suddenly announced that COCORO, RAN SHIZUKU, and KOKONA would exit before two years with the group was quite surprising.

At the time, it seemed like health issues was the primary reason.

COCORO, born on November 1, 2000, had previously suspended her activities in March 2025 after doctors advised her to focus on treatment and rest due to ongoing health issues. RAN, born on August 7, 2004 and known as the group’s sub-leader, entered a period of rest in July 2025 following mental exhaustion, as decided after discussions with the management team.
SHIZUKU, born on December 4, 2004 in Tokyo, was placed on hiatus in October 2025 after her agency announced that an incident had occurred that violated company regulations.
Meanwhile, the youngest of the four, KOKONA, born on January 30, 2006, most recently appeared at the final performance of ME:I’s first arena live tour encore in Tokyo on December 14, 2025.

Now though former member COCORO recently sat down with Shukan Bunshun for an interview that ran over two hours, and in it she detailed abuse by the group’s company, LAPONE.

In short:

• COCORO denies that she was ill, much less in such poor health that she had to withdraw.
• COCORO explained that she served as a middle-man between the members and management, having to warn members when management had issues with them instead of them doing it directly. She agreed to do this as a senior idol due to wanting to make things easier for the members, but she felt like management resented her for it, and last February she was lectured for two hours for protecting ME:I members who were warned.
• COCORO claims ME:I members were subjected to surprise weigh-ins, checking through the fridge and trash to monitor their diets, and that management would do this randomly due to having keys to their dorm/ Specifically she mentions being used to this while under Korean companies for three years (ex-Cherry Bullet), but other members felt their privacy was violated.
• In March, ME:I worked into the night and flew to South Korea with no sleep, and in conjunction with ME:I not having many days off since debuting, it caused her to have questions about whether it was tenable.
• At that time she left the management group chat, which management interpreted as a mental health issue. After a 30-minute appointment at a clinic and a 15-minute one at another, management cleared her to return, but later that month LAPONE told her she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. They told her and her both that both doctors concurred and she should go on hiatus, which they later announced.
• She says she was falsely accused of drinking alcohol, which led to management pushing a hiatus. More false accusations led to relations deteriorating.
• COCORO explains she never thought of leaving the group and wanted to continue but had no choice but to comply.
• During her hiatus she returned home, and while there she went for a second opinion. The doctor said it was impossible for her to get such a quick BPD diagnosis. As a result she went back to one of the clinics that supposedly diagnosed her, and was told the doctors never diagnosed her with BPD, never recommended a hiatus, and said she was in good health.
• With an attorney’s help, COCORO then discovered that LAPONE told the two initial clinics she visited beforehand that COCORO’s behavior was erratic like “goes crazy and runs outside”, “cries and screams”, and “held a knife and screamed about wanting to die”.
• Regardless, COCORO returned to the dorm in July ahead of an assumed return, which in August management told her she’d be back for their next single.
• Suddenly, in late September, she was told her contract would not be renewed for violation of company rules, without explanation. She was denied returning to ME:I until her contract ends.

COCORO’s lawyers then released a statement on her behalf addressed to fans, confirming her health and thanking them for support. They also explained that through their investigation of her health, they confirmed the doctors did not diagnose her as in poor health, and they deny any tabloid reports of poor behavior.

LAPONE also released a statement saying … well, nothing. They acknowledge the Bunshun report, claim it has “factual inaccuracies” and leave it at that because explaining would involve contracts and privacy. Yeah.

——

So yeah, while things were just allegations, I was kinda waiting for anything further to develop, but right now it’s a lot of detail and investigation work against … nothing from LAPONE’s side. Also, the parent company mentioned that eventually essentially kicked her out is CJ ENM, who own LAPONE Entertainment in Japan, so they definitely should’ve be let off easy here either.

Not much to discuss right now as there’s really no reason to not believe COCORO. The fact that other members that left either were deemed similarly problematic before and/or had health hiatuses calls into question all of those as well, and it more and more feels like the company simply didn’t want them in the group. Also somewhat disturbing that even COCORO normalizes