元AKB48前田敦子登場！　「VOGUE JAPAN Women of the Year 2012」　#Atsuko Maeda　#Japanese Idol

Former AKB48 member and actress Atsuko Maeda was selected as the "VOGUE JAPAN Women of the Year 2012" by fashion magazine VOGUE (Condé Nast Publications Japan), and appeared at the awards ceremony held in Tokyo on November 26th. Upon hearing that her former group AKB48 would be appearing on the 63rd NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen, which will be broadcast on New Year's Eve, Maeda expressed relief and said, "I'm glad," adding, "I'll be spending New Year's Eve with my family, so I'll be cheering them on in front of the TV." Now in its eighth year, the award is given to women who have shone and are active in a variety of fields. In addition to Maeda, other recipients include actress Machiko Ono, singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, actress Ayame Goriki, artist Asami Kiyokawa, manga artist Mari Yamazaki, singer Saori Yuki, female wrestler Saori Yoshida, jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, and female wrestler Kaori Icho. Maeda commented enthusiastically on her win, "It's an award that's unique to women, so I'm very happy and will do my best. I think I received this award because I graduated from AKB48, so I hope to receive an award like this when I shine as an actress." She also reflected on this year, saying, "It's an important year for me. I spent the first half of the year working with AKB, and after I left, I was able to use my time in a new way. It's only been one year, but it felt long. It's also been a year where I got started." (Mainichi Shimbun Digital) #### Actress Atsuko Maeda – former member of the group AKB48 was elected for the Award "VOGUE JAPAN Women of the Year 2012" presented by the fashion magazine VOGUE (Condé Nast Publications Japan) and appeared in the award ceremony held in Tokyo on November 26th.