Miho Watanabe

Watanabe played basketball from elementary to high school. She was the captain and point guard of her high school team, and participated in prefectural level tournaments.^[2] She briefly attended university after graduating high school, but dropped out to focus on her career.^[3]

On August 15, 2017, Watanabe was introduced as one of nine Hiragana Keyakizaka46 (now Hinatazaka46) "second generation" members.^[4] She made her acting debut two months later in the group's drama Re:Mind, aired on TV Tokyo and Netflix, and was the only second generation member to appear in the main story with the founding first generation members.^[5][6][7]

Watanabe's first photobook, titled Hidamari^[a] and photographed in New Zealand, was released on January 17, 2019. About 17,000 copies were sold in its release week, placing it first on the Oricon Weekly Photobook chart and fifth on the overall Weekly Book chart.^[8][9] It was the first and only solo photobook by a Hiragana Keyakizaka46 member, as subsequent books by other members were released after they were rebranded into Hinatazaka46 in February of that year.^[10]

Watanabe appeared in the Hinatazaka46 dramas Dasada (2020)^[7] and Koeharu! (2021).^[11] She and fellow members Miku Kanemura and Akari Nibu, together colloquially known as the "Saitama Trio" after their shared home prefecture, also lent their voices to characters named after themselves in the short animation series Pickles the Frog: Color of Feelings (2021).^[12]

In July 2020, Watanabe became a co-host for the basketball program Toriaezu NBA Fan ni nattemiru?^[b] on NBA Rakuten, the National Basketball Association's web streaming service in Japan.^[13][14]

Watanabe played female lead Nasa Kotosaka in the television drama adaptation of the romance/science fiction novel With You, Who Wanted to Be A Star [ja] (2021), alongside Gordon Maeda. The drama was aired on Nippon TV and Hulu Japan, with slightly different storylines for each version.^[15][16] She played female lead Remi Watanuki in the action web film Good Morning, Sleeping Lion (2022) alongside Seiji Takaiwa and several other Kamen Rider franchise veterans.^[17] On being offered the role, she remarked that a fortune teller on the Hinatazaka46 variety show Hinatazaka de Aimashō had predicted years earlier that "a Kamen Rider offer" would come to her.^[18]

On April 3, 2022, Watanabe announced that she would depart from Hinatazaka46 after the promotion for the group's 7th single "Boku Nanka" (2022) has concluded. She would be the first second generation member, and the third after the group's rebrand, to leave the group.^[19] For that single, she served as center (lead performer) for the "aggressive, rock-sounding" track "Koishita Sakana wa Sora wo Tobu",^[c][20] and the music video for "Hikōkigumo ga Dekiru Riyū"^[d] is about the closing of a dormitory named "Hidamari", a reference to her aforementioned photobook.^[21] Her "graduation" ceremony took place on June 28 at the Tokyo International Forum, Hall A;^[22] recordings of the concert were included on the Type A and Type B editions of Hinatazaka46's 8th single "Tsuki to Hoshi ga Odoru Midnight" (2022).^[23] A graduation commemorative book, titled Watashi ga Watashi de aru Tame ni^[e] was published by Nikkei BP, which sold 16,000 copies in its release week and placed fourth on the Oricon Weekly Book chart.^[24] She officially left Hinatazaka46 on July 31,^[25] with her posting on its official blog for the last time the next day, August 1.^[26] In an interview with Oricon, Watanabe stated that she would continue her entertainment career and utilize her acting experience.^[27]

On September 1, 2022, Watanabe announced her affiliation with the talent agency Queen-B. She also launched her Twitter and Instagram accounts, an official website and her own fanclub.^[28]

Watanabe appeared in the dramas Brother Trap (2022)^[29] and Shut Up (2023),^[30] and in an episode of The Solitary Gourmet Season 10 (2023).^[31][32] She made her full-fledged voice acting debut in the NHK short animation series Animation x Paralympic, in a 2023 episode featuring paracanoe athlete Monika Seryū [ja].^[33][34] She then appeared in the NHK asadora The Tiger and Her Wings (2024)^[35] and co-starred in Love Live! School Idol Musical the Drama (2024), the first live-action series adaptation of the popular Love Live! franchise.^[36] She also appeared in the stage play Nigero! (2023) and musical Sunny (2023),^[31] and starred in the romantic comedy film You Are Mine! (2024)^[37] and teen film Seishun Gestalt Houkai (2025), where she portrayed a student suffering from sudden prosopagnosia.^[38]

Due to her experience in basketball, Watanabe became Saitama Basketball Ambassador in 2023 and the Women's Japan Basketball League Ambassador in 2024.^[39][40] She is also a member of the Saitama Prefecture public relations group, the Saitama Supporters Group, or Kobaton Club.^[41]

Watanabe continued to expand her acting career in 2025 with regular roles in the television dramas Junkissa Tsunagari, Heiten Shimasu (TV Aichi),^[42] Ameagari no Bokura ni Tsuite (TV Tokyo),^[43] and Jigoku wa Zen'i de Dekiteiru (Kansai TV).^[44] In 2026, she secured a co-lead role as Meiko Mori in the TOKYO MX romantic comedy series Yukari-kun wa Gap ga Zurui alongside Hayato Takao,^[45] as well as the social drama Umanai Onna wa Dame desu ka? DINKs no Totsukitooka (TV Tokyo).^[46]

Watanabe launched her travel YouTube channel, Miho Watanabe's Tourism Ambassador Support Activities (渡邉美穂の観光大使の推し事, Watanabe Miho no Kankō Taishi no Oshigoto), in April 2026. Fellow former Hinatazaka46 members Sarina Ushio and Manamo Miyata made guest appearances in the debut video.^[47][48]

Watanabe had participated in all Hinatazaka46 title songs until "Boku Nanka" (2022).^[62][63] Prominent appearances include:

• "Kirei ni Naritai" (Hashiridasu Shunkan, 2018), as a trio with Nao Kosaka and Akari Nibu^[64]
• "Yasashisa ga Jama o Suru" ("Do Re Mi Sol La Si Do" B-side, 2019), as the "Respect Three" trio with Shiho Katō and Hinano Kamimura^[65]
• "Akubi Letter" ("Tteka" B-side, 2021), as the "Color Chart" trio with Miku Kanemura and Akari Nibu^[66][67]
• "Koishita Sakana wa Sora wo Tobu" ("Boku Nanka" B-side, 2022), center (lead performer)^[20]

Appearances outside Sakamichi Series releases include:

• "Hatsukoi Door" (AKB48 single "Jiwaru Days" B-side, 2019), Sakamichi Series collaboration with AKB48 Group (SakamichiAKB)^[68]
• "Hitoribocchi no Kakumei" (Good Morning, Sleeping Lion theme song, 2022), solo song^[69]