Haruka Wakatabe, a former member of HKT48 and currently working for Fuji TV, appeared on "FNN Live News Days" (Monday to Friday, 11:00 a.m.) on the 12th.

The day after the LDP presidential election was announced on the 12th, reporter Wakatabe reported from in front of the LDP headquarters on the news that the nine candidates were in full battle mode.

Her straight long hair that reached her shoulders was parted in the middle, giving her a more mature look than her idol days, but her sharp beauty remains the same. Wearing a grey jacket with white undershirt, she delivered the party's voice the day after the election rally in a calm tone.

"Yes. After their first head-to-head battle, one candidate is in full battle mode, saying, 'I got my revenge,' but even within the party, opinions for and against each candidate are already being mixed."

The report included the veteran candidate's comments to Shinjiro Koizumi, such as, "He was completely on the defensive. It was probably an attempt to protect himself from making a slip of the tongue."

Wakatabe passed the audition for the first generation of HKT members in 2011 and became a member. He attracted attention because his father was Kenichi Wakatabe, a former ace pitcher for the professional baseball team Softbank. He graduated in 2017 and went on to Hosei University. It was reported that he joined Fuji Television in 2021.