A post on the official X account of Hirata Runa, an eight-year-old Japanese child performer who used the stage name Luna-chan, announced her death on Sept. 28, 2026, three days after she died.
“We deeply apologize for this sudden report. Hirata Runa passed away peacefully around 4:00 a.m. on September 25,” the announcement said.
Hirata died early Friday morning, Sept. 25. The announcement stunned supporters, who had seen her perform in apparent good health less than a week before her death.
What Her Agency Said
The DIANNA Project, a Nagoya-based talent program and girl-group scheme that develops and markets young J-pop “idols” based on personality and public image, said it regretted to announce that Hirata, one of its Nagoya trainees, had died of myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — associated with an influenza infection. The agency published its full statement on its own website, in addition to the social-media post, as of Oct. 4.
The agency said that, following the wishes of her bereaved family, her wake and funeral were held with only close relatives present. It offered its deepest gratitude to fans who supported her and to everyone involved in her short career.
With her funeral already held in private, the agency asked the public to respect the family’s feelings and refrain from individual inquiries or media requests about her death, or from posting questions about it on social media.
As of Oct. 4, no further details about her death have been released, and the names of her parents and other family members remain not publicly known.
A Final Show in Nagoya
Hirata was a trainee with the DIANNA Project and was in her third year of primary school. She had been on stage five days before her death, appearing at the DIANNA Project’s Regular Live Vol.70 concert in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 20.
After that concert she posted a cheerful note of thanks to people who came to watch her, and she said she hoped the audience at the show’s third part would enjoy themselves too. “Thank you again today. It was so much fun,” she wrote.
Family Calls Her Eternal Idol
Her family shared a tribute through her official account and said they were sorry to deliver such sudden news. “One third of Runa’s life was spent as an idol,” her family said, adding that she had loved everyone very much.
The family thanked the fellow idols who had been close to her, the fans who followed her, the agency staff who helped make her an idol and everyone else connected to her. They described her as an “eternal idol,” according to reporting on the family’s message, and asked the public to keep that memory of her while urging that their privacy be respected as they grieve.
Other Losses in J-Pop
Japanese pop has mourned other performers in recent years. Singer-actor Miho Nakayama, a figure in the early J-pop scene, was found dead at her home, and her agency, Big Apple, confirmed her death on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. She was 54.
Nakayama was born March 1, 1970, in Tokyo and launched her entertainment career in 1985, balancing music and acting from the start. She starred in director Shunji Iwai’s 1995 romance “Love Letter,” which was released in the United States as “When I Close My Eyes.” Nakayama is survived by a son whom she shared with her former husband, musician Hitonari Tsuji.
