The troubled life of Kago Ai

Yesterday Kago Ai tried to commit suicide (for the second time in her life), and was hospitalized as a result.

Just days before, her current boyfriend was arrested for suspicions of being connected to the Japanese mafia (the yakuza). Kago herself was taken in for questioning as well. Earlier this year she announced that she left her record company on bad terms due to not seeing eye to eye with each other. In 2010 she released her first solo album, which barely sold over 500 copies (total). In 2009, her previous boyfriend was sued by his ex-wife and he lost the case; he had to give up his home, his car, and pay child support. And there's much more, but you get the point.

Kago is a troubled soul that was broken by being exposed to the idol show-business too young. However, even at age 12, it was something Kago had to do: "Kago had worked to earn her brothers and sister's living, tuition and rehab money, on behalf of her mother, who was concentrating on parenting and housework. She had to support the household even though she was a teenager."

I'd like to bring to your attention a very old H!O article (well, a translation of an article) from where I got that quote from. It's very revealing of not only Kago's life, but also some "inside" information on the idol business in general: http://www.hello-online.org/index.php?app=helloapp&CODE=article&topic=128

In it, it was revealed how Kago's mother raised four kids alone (having multiple kids is a rarity in Japan today; look at the country's drastically falling birth rate), how Kago's youngest brother is mentally handicapped (Japan is very backward when it comes to illnesses like that), and just how strict the idol business is at times.

Unfortunately, Kago seems to have a knack for making the wrong decisions in life, but knowing the above, it just makes me sad when people blame her for her issues. She's gone through a lot not only in the last few years, but all throughout her young life. People tend to forget that she's barely older than Niigaki Risa (23 years old). Kago has broken many of her fans hearts over the years with her decisions in life, but it's times like this where she needs the support of her fans the most. I really hope that this incident will be the last and Kago will stay out of the limelight for a while to get her life back on track.