Mion Mukaichi

Mion Mukaichi (向井地 美音) is a Japanese idol singer and former child actress. She is a member of the girl group AKB48, and was the third AKB48 Group General Manager (総監督). As an actress, she is best known for portraying Mio Sato in the Unfair television series and films.

Biography
Mukaichi was born in Saitama Prefecture. She played tennis from 1st grade in elementary school right up to 3rd grade in junior high school.

Career
Mukaichi was a child actress, represented by the talent agency Central G. She quit in fifth grade to concentrate on her studies and returned after entering junior high school, represented by talent agency Ii Concept. She appeared in a number of television dramas, such as Unfair (2006), and movies, such as Unfair: The Movie (2007).

In January 2013, Mukaichi took part and passed the AKB48 15th generation auditions, joining the group as a trainee member. She was promoted to Team 4 In February 2014, during the group's Daisokaku Matsuri team assignment event and concert. In April 2014, Mukaichi was selected as the new center (lead performer) for the song "Heavy Rotation" after being nominated by original center Yuko Oshima, who was about to leave the group. She joined a title track lineup, or senbatsu, for the first time for the group's 38th single title track "Kibouteki Refrain".

Mukaichi appeared in the series Sailor Zombie, starring fellow AKB48 members Nana Owada, Rina Kawaei, and Juri Takahashi, as a guest role in episode 2. Outside the group, she starred in the movie Unfair: The End, the final part of the Unfair series, which was released in September 2015. Producer Hirotsugu Usui, who did not know Mukaichi joined AKB48, said Mukaichi's role was a very important one and that even if Mukaichi has quit the entertainment industry, he would want her to return for this role.

Mukaichi was appointed as center for the group's 44th single title track "Tsubasa wa Iranai" which was released on June 1, 2016. In AKB48 Group's general elections in the same year, she placed 13th with 47,094 votes and entered the senbatsu in AKB48 45th single.

In June 2018, she placed 13th in that year's elections and revealed that she aimed to become the next General Manager of AKB48 Group. In December, during the 13th anniversary celebration of the group at the AKB48 Theater, current General Manager Yui Yokoyama nominated Mukaichi as her successor and stated that she would remain to guide her until she was ready to take over the position. Mukaichi officially assumed the General Manager position on April 1, 2019.

On January 21, 2020, to commemorate AKB48's fifteenth anniversary, Mukaichi launched the AKB48 individual YouTube channels project, where members would produce their own YouTube channels to express their individual appeal to the general public, following the cancellation of long-running AKB48 television shows such as AKBingo! and AKB48 Show! Her joint channel with fellow AKB48 members Nana Okada, Yuiri Murayama, and Shinobu Mogi, the, was launched the same day.

On December 8, 2021, she was appointed the new captain of Team A during AKB48's 16th Anniversary performance, which she will serve in addition to her role as General Manager.

On December 31, 2023, Mukaichi announced that she will be stepping down as General Manager on March 16, 2024, and that Narumi Kuranoo will take her place.

Stage units

 * AKB48 Kenkyusei Stage "Pajama Drive" (パジャマドライブ)
 * 1) "Tenshi no Shippo" (天使のしっぽ)
 * Team 4 3rd Stage "Idol no Yoake" (アイドルの夜明け)
 * 1) "Zannen Shōjo" (残念少女)

TV variety

 * SMAP X SMAP (2005)
 * AKBingo! (2013–2019)
 * AKB48 no Anta Dare? (AKB48のあんた、誰?) (2013-2016)
 * Ariyoshi AKB Kyowakoku (有吉AKB共和国) (2014-2016)
 * AKB Nemousu TV (AKBネ申テレビ) (2014– )
 * AKB de Arubaito (AKBでアルバイト) (2014)
 * AKB Shirabe (※AKB調べ) (2014-2015)

TV dramas

 * Toshiie and Matsu (利家とまつ) (2002), young Hatsu
 * Wedding Planner (ウエディングプランナー) (2002), Yumi's Daughter
 * Unfair'' (2006), Sato Mio
 * Iryu (医龍) (2006), Fujiyoshi Juri
 * Papa no Namida de Ko wa Sodatsu (パパの涙で子は育つ) (2007), Kawamura Kaya
 * Flight Panic (フライトパニック) (2007)
 * Hataraki Man (働きマン) (2007)
 * Sailor Zombie (セーラーゾンビ) (2014), Giant zombie (Ep 2)
 * Majisuka Gakuen 4 (マジすか学園4) (2015), Jisedai (Team Hinabe)
 * Majisuka Gakuen 5 (マジすか学園5) (2015), Jisedai (Team Hinabe)
 * AKB Horror Night: Adrenaline's Night (AKBホラーナイト アドレナリンの夜) Ep.21 - Big Sister (2015), Ikuko
 * Gekijōrei Kara no Shōtaijō (劇場霊からの招待状) Episode 8 (2015) as Mayu Izumi
 * AKB Love Night: Love Factory (AKBラブナイト 恋工場) Ep.37 - Dangerous Two-seaters (2016), Mirai
 * Crow's Blood (クロウズ ブラッド) (2016), Nami Katayama
 * Cabasuka Gakuen (キャバすか学園) (2016), Jisedai (Fugu)
 * Tofu Pro-Wrestling (豆腐プロレス) (2017), Mion Mukaichi/Strawberry Mukaichi, Blackberry Mukaichi
 * Majimuri Gakuen (マジムリ学園) (2018), Bara/Ikumi Kuwabara

Movies

 * Bayside Shakedown 2 (2003), Rikako
 * Unfair: The Movie (2007), Sato Mio
 * Gegege no Kitaro: Kitaro and the Millennium Curse (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 千年呪い歌) (2008), Haruka
 * Twilight Syndrome - Dead Go Round (トワイライトシンドローム デッドクルーズ) (2008)
 * Unfair: The End (2015), Sato Mio

Educational

 * NHK Koko Koza (NHK高校講座) (2014- )

Magazines

 * Love Berry, Tokuma Shoten 2001-2012 and 2015-, as an exclusive model since December 2015