Yuki Arai On Her Match Against Miyu Yamashita at Summer Sun Princess, Leaving SKE48 | Interview

Yuki Arai is at the top of TJPW as the Princess of Princess Champion, and she looks to keep it that way on Saturday when she defends her championship against the company’s most prestigious champion in history, Miyu Yamashita.

It was back in 2021 when then-idol Arai made the decision to join Tokyo Joshi Pro as a professional wrestler. As a member of the famed idol group SKE48, it was a major decision that saw Arai dive in headfirst — wrestling 20 matches in her first year while still balancing idol duties. She did that all the way through 2025, winning both the Princess Tag Team Championship and International Princess Championship within those four years active. It was in 2025, however, that she decided to officially leave SKE48 and become a full-time member of TJPW.

The decision proved to be a great one for Arai, who would then go on to win the Princess of Princess Championship — the top prize in TJPW — at this year’s Grand Princess show by defeating two-time champion and top TJPW star Miu Watanabe.

Arai has since defended the championship three times against J-Rod, Arisu Endo, and Yuki Kamifuku. But she will now face her biggest test on Saturday at Summer Sun Princess when she faces Miyu Yamashita.

Prior to that defense, Arai provided Fightful’s Scott Edwards with a few answers in an exclusive interview regarding her exit from SKE48, her upcoming defense against Yamashita, and being a champion.

Here’s what Arai had to say!

Edwards: You made the decision to leave SKE48 to become a wrestler full-time. After having done both for so long, how difficult was making that decision to move on from being an idol to becoming a pro wrestler only?

Arai: “It wasn’t something I struggled with that much. For a moment, I did consider ending all of my entertainment activities when I left SKE, but no matter how many times I thought about it, the feeling that I hadn’t fully given everything I had to pro wrestling yet and that I still wanted to see so many more things through wrestling, was stronger. I believe I made the right decision!”

Edwards: You won the Princess of Princess Championship at Grand Princess from Miu Watanabe. Not only did you become champion, but one of three wrestlers in TJPW history to have won the Princess of Princess Title, International Princess Title, and Princess Tag Team Championship. How did you feel when you won the championship, especially after your unique road to the top of TJPW, and what does it mean to be in such a unique class having won all of TJPW’s championships?

Arai: “Ever since my debut match, so many people have taken notice of me, supported me, and helped me get to this point, so first of all, I’m really happy that I was able to achieve this result. I truly believe it is thanks to everyone who has been involved in my journey, and I want to keep working hard from here so I can accomplish even more than people imagine!”

Edwards: Having already defended the championship three times, do you feel your run as champion is going the way you had hoped? What kind of champion do you hope to be for TJPW as you look to continue forward after Summer Sun Princess?

Arai: “I still have a long way to go, but I’m happy that I’ve been able to stand strong as champion so far. I want to successfully defend the title again in my next defense, and as champion, I believe my role is to create more opportunities for even more people to learn about Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling. I want to keep aiming to be the strongest and bring TJPW to an even wider audience!”

Edwards: Miyu Yamashita will be your toughest test. She is the longtime top star of TJPW, and she has held the Princess of Princess Championship more than anyone. You managed to make her tap out to earn the opportunity that ultimately saw you defeat Miu Watanabe for the belt. What have you learned from sharing the ring with Yamashita before? Do you expect a different version of her than you’ve seen with her being your challenger? What should fans expect to see in the main event of Summer Sun Princess?

Arai: “I already knew how intimidating Yamashita-san could be in the ring, but when a title is involved, that intensity goes to an even higher level. We have faced each other many times before, but this will be our first championship match. I think the key to beating a dangerous Yamashita-san is how much of my own dangerous side I can bring out, so I’m going to pull out everything I have and fight with all of it. I want this to be a match that excites both Yamashita-san and everyone watching!”

We’d like to thank Yuki Arai for her time to provide us with this interview right before her big match this weekend. We’d also like to thank TJPW for the opportunity to work with them in making this interview possible!

For fans who want to check out Arai’s defense against Yamashita and the remainder of Summer Sun Princess ’26, you can check out the entire show LIVE on WRESTLE UNIVERSE this Saturday. The show actually begins at 10 p.m. EST on Friday night.

Arai will also compete in TJPW’s annual Tokyo Princess Cup tournament, which kicks off on Monday, July 20, with all the first-round matches. Fans can also check that out on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.

Check out Scott’s other past interviews with TJPW’s Miu Watanabe, STARDOM’s Rina and Hazuki, as well as a video interview with Sareee.