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MIRAI (24), a female professional wrestler, is following her own path, guided by a strange fate. On March 11, 2011, when she was in the fifth grade of elementary school, she was struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, the girl who overcame her hardships with her indomitable spirit, discovered professional wrestling after the disaster, and grew up to be active on the top front of "Stardom," the mainstay of the women's professional wrestling world. Thirteen years have passed since the disaster. She will leave Stardom at the end of March, and is certain to join the new organization that Rossy Ogawa will launch. MIRAI looks back on her turbulent life as she embarks on a new journey.
--What is your reason for leaving the group?
>I wanted to leave the company after a certain period of time to pursue a different career. I had no intention of staying active for a long time. So I decided that I wanted to challenge what I wanted to do so that I would have no regrets in my wrestling career. If you ask me, "Have I done all I can do at Stardom? I would think, "I haven't even won the red belt (world title).... But I think I have to do my best because I am leaving a place where I feel safe.
--What kind of child were you?
>I was curious and competitive. I was a child who wanted to try everything. I went on homestays in Japan, joined the student council at elementary and junior high school, was the conductor of the drum and fife corps, joined the cheerleading squad in high school, and did many other things.
--You were also a judo player.
>I started in the fourth grade. When I was little, I had a tremendous rivalry with my older brother. My brother started judo because he didn't want to get rounded up for baseball, but he was weak. He used to throw me at home because he couldn't throw me at school. I wanted to get back at my brother, and that's how it all started.
