Karen Iwata
However, the auditions were postponed, so Iwata continued to participate and was selected to join the group as a 12th kenkyusei (trainee) in April 2011.[3][4] In December 2011, Iwata auditioned for a role in the TV animated series AKB0048 and was selected to play the main character, Nagisa Motomiya.[8] In July 2012, Iwata was selected to host a TV program on NHK as part of a series to support the areas affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which included Sendai.[16] In order to prepare for her studies in the U.S., she left Horipro at the end of June 2023, after which she is working on a freelance basis.[17] Iwata attended the Faculty of Arts at Nihon University and graduated from Department of Photography in March 2023.