Konoka Matsuda

Matsuda trained in classical ballet from the age of three until she joined Hiragana Keyakizaka46. She was a member of her school's taiko club and played guitar in a band.^[2]

On August 13, 2017, Matsuda joined the girl group Hiragana Keyakizaka46, now Hinatazaka46, as a second generation member.^[3] In her early variety show appearances, she was noted for her original gag that incorporated her ballet skill.^[4][5] She was one half of the guitar duo subgroup Hana-chans (花ちゃんズ, Hanachanzu) with fellow member Suzuka Tomita; the duo released their first and only song as part of Hinatazaka46's 3rd single^[6] and performed a live show outside the group on MTV Japan, titled MTV Acoustic Flowers: Until Full Bloom "Bell & Like", on June 27, 2021.^[7] During the first Hinata Fes in Miyazaki Prefecture in 2024, she played the taiko to start the concert on both days.^[8]

Matsuda played female lead Mariko Senri in an all-female stage adaptation of Rainbow Parakeet (2018), with Nogizaka46 member Junna Itō cross-cast as the titular protagonist.^[9] She played supporting characters in the Hinatazaka46 dramas Dasada (2020)^[10] and Koeharu! (2021).^[11]

In September 2020, Matsuda went on hiatus to treat an ophthalmic disease.^[12] During her break, she obtained the Kanji Kentei level 2 certification.^[13] She made her comeback at the live streamed Hinakuri 2020 concert on December 24.^[14]

From 2019 to 2020, Matsuda served as co-host for the "Society and Information" subject on NHK Educational TV's High School Course program.^[15][16][17] She went on to co-host for TBS Television's morning show Love It! from August to September 2021,^[18][19] and was the Tuesday co-host for The Time on the same station from 2022 to 2025.^[20][21] Since 2023, she has been a co-host for the travel variety show Kasuga Location on Nippon TV, produced and co-hosted by comedian and regular Hinatazaka46 collaborator Toshiaki Kasuga.^[22]

Matsuda's first solo radio program was the self-titled Konoka Matsuda's Hinatazaka High School Broadcast Club on Nippon Broadcasting System,^[23] which ran from 2021 to 2023.^[24] In October 2023, she joined the long-running All Night Nippon radio franchise on the same station as a monthly host (final Saturdays of each month) for All Night Nippon 0 (Zero), and transitioned in April 2024 to a weekly schedule for the new program All Night Nippon X (Cross), which aimed to synergize radio with new media technologies.^[25][26]

Broadcast Writer, Konoka Matsuda (放送作家松田好花, Hōsōsakka Matsuda Konoka), Matsuda's first self-titled television show, was aired on August 10, 2024, on TV Tokyo and follows her efforts to create an original television program.^[27] A second installment, about discovering the unknown sides of the Hinatazaka46 4th Generation members, aired in August 2025.^[28]

Matsuda's first photobook, titled Furimuite (振り向いて; lit. 'Looking Back'), was released by Kodansha on May 28, 2024. The photography took place in Vancouver, Canada, where she had taken part in a homestay program before attending high school, and she managed to reunite with her former host family.^[29] The book sold 51 thousand copies in its first week and placed first on the Oricon Weekly Book Ranking that week;^[30] at the end of the year, it placed seventh and second on the annual photobook and annual solo female photobook rankings, respectively.^[31][32]

Matsuda placed eighth on the 2025 Oricon Favorite Radio Personality Ranking (Actors/Artists), announced in August 2025.^[33] She held her first off-air radio event at the Pacifico Yokohama on December 8, 2025, titled Hinatazaka46 Konoka Matsuda's All Night Nippon X: So You Want to Listen to Matsuda's Talk! in Pacifico Yokohama!. She remarked during the event that she was especially "grateful" that it had sold out, with demand for tickets exceeding the venue's capacity, even before she announced her upcoming departure from Hinatazaka46 the previous week.^[34][35]

On December 1, Matsuda announced on her official blog that she would leave Hinatazaka46 in February 2026.^[36] The group's 16th single, "Cliffhanger", would include a song with lyrics written by her, titled "Namidame no Taiyō" (涙目の太陽) and performed by all members, making her the first Sakamichi Series member to write the lyrics for a group (i.e., non-solo) song, as producer Yasushi Akimoto had previously been credited as sole lyricist for all such songs.^[37][38] Her "graduation" ceremony took place on January 29, 2026, at the Toyota Arena Tokyo^[39][40] and she concluded all activities with the group on February 28.^[41] She continued to be represented by Seed & Flower, which manages Hinatazaka46, and her official website and fan club, Konoka no Soba (このかのそば; lit. 'By Konoka's Side' or 'Konoka's Soba'; she has made soba noodles from scratch on several television shows and live streams),^[42] were launched the next day.^[43]

Matsuda returned to All Night Nippon 0 in April 2026 as the weekly personality for Tuesdays. Her All Night Nippon X Thursday time slot was taken over by Hinatazaka46 member Yōko Shōgenji the same month.^[44]

Bubka magazine named Matsuda the "Genius of Hard Work" (努力の天才, Doryoku no Tensai) in recognition of her endeavors in various fields.^[12]

Matsuda's older sister, Arisa Matsuda, held the title of Miss Ritsumeikan 2016 and won the grand prize in the Miss of Miss Campus Queen Contest 2017.^[2][45][46]

Matsuda has been in the lineup of all Hinatazaka46 title songs until her departure.^[47] Other prominent appearances include:

• "Masaka Gūzen..." (まさか 偶然...; lit. 'Such a Coincidence...') (2019, "Konna ni Suki ni Natchatte Ii no?" B-side), as Hana-chans^[6]
• "Nazee" (ナゼー; lit. 'Why') (2020, "Sonna Koto Nai yo" B-side), Dasada original song, performed with Mei Higashimura and Hina Kawata as the in-universe group Factory^[48][49]
• "Midnight Konoka" (真夜中の松田さん, Mayonaka no Matsuda-san) (2021, "Kimi Shika Katan" bonus content), solo song^[12][50]
• "Röntgen Megane" (レントゲン眼鏡; lit. 'X-ray Glasses') (2021), Koeharu! original song, performed with Suzuka Tomita as the in-universe duo Maririn and Ruby^[51]
• "10-byō Tenshi" (10秒天使; lit. '10-second Angel') (2022, "Tsuki to Hoshi ga Odoru Midnight" B-side), performed with Hina Kawata, Mirei Sasaki, and Mei Higashimura^[52]
• "Namidame no Taiyō" (涙目の太陽; lit. 'Tearful Sun') (2026, "Cliffhanger" B-side), lead singer and lyricist^[37]

Weekly appearances unless otherwise noted.

• Furimuite (振り向いて; lit. 'Looking Back') (2025), photobook, published by Kodansha, ISBN 978-4-06-535909-9^[30]

• Hinatazaka46 Konoka Matsuda's All Night Nippon X: So You Want to Listen to Matsuda's Talk! in Pacifico Yokohama!^[g] (Pacifico Yokohama, December 8, 2025)^[35]