Popular idol Jun Natsukawa admitted on her official blog on Thursday that she is older than she has claimed to be.

Magazine reports had recently circulated stating that Natsukawa was born in 1980, three years earlier than her publicized birth date. When asked about it, she repeatedly asserted that she is 23.

But on Thursday, Natsukawa admitted that she is actually 26. She explained that when she joined her current agency, the staff decided to change both her name and her age. She was represented as being 19 at the time to increase her appeal to teenagers.

"Today, I would like to start over as the 26-year-old Jun Natsukawa," she said.