About 板野友美

Itano Tomomi (板野友美), nickname "Tomochin" (ともちん), born on July 3, 1991 in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan is a Japanese idol singer, model, and actress, as well as a former member of idol group AKB48. In 2011, she debuted as a solo artist with the single, "Dear J". Born in Suita, Osaka, Itano moved to Kanagawa when she was ten years old. In 2005, 14-year-old Itano was chosen out of 7,000 auditionees to become a member of the all-female Japanese idol group AKB48. She is regularly seen at the forefront of the group's singles and concert performances, participating in all the singles to date. Within the group, she is frequently nicknamed 'tomochin', using 'tomo' in first person (e.g. Tomo thinks she must go now). She is known for being close with fellow AKB48 members Atsuko Maeda and Tomomi Kasai. In May 2007, Itano and her friend Tomomi Kasai were moved to a different agency, HoriPro. In September 2008, Itano became a model for the popular woman's fashion magazine, cawaii. In June 2010, Itano ranked 4th place in the AKB48 senbatsu election. She graduated from AKB48 on August 25, 2013 at AKB48's Tokyo Dome Concert, with her last stage performance on August 27.