2nd October 2026 – (Tokyo) Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki, widely known as Ayu, has responded to a flurry of online comments about her appearance after she featured in a short promotional clip for a Nippon Tv music special. The teaser showed the 47‑year‑old in a vivid blue mini dress with twin ponytails, ahead of a performance of her hit Blue Bird. After the clip aired, some viewers claimed she looked hard to recognise and speculated about changes to her facial features, prompting a wave of heated remarks on social platforms.
Hamasaki addressed the criticism in a forthright post on her personal accounts, writing that the comments could not hurt her because she was focused on living her own life and that she and her detractors would never cross paths in reality. She urged critics to spend their limited time on more meaningful things, adding hashtags that signalled she was unbothered and noting she would mark “Lv48” in five days’ time. The message drew an outpouring of support from fans, who praised her poise and longevity and insisted she remains an enduring icon across eras.
The singer’s appearance formed part of Nippon Tv’s large‑scale music programme 120 Million People’s Thanks! Uta no Kanshasai, her first return to the network in four years. While the promo sparked detractors’ barbs — including unflattering comparisons and claims she looked like a robot — backing from long‑time followers quickly dominated the conversation, with many celebrating her confidence and stage presence as she approaches her 48th birthday.