Following her departure, Yoshizawa continued to appear in several music projects, including Hangry & Angry, Abcho, and Dream Morning Musume.

On September 28, 2018, Yoshizawa announced she was retiring from entertainment following public scrutiny of her involvement in a vehicle accident and subsequent arrest.

Furthering this perception of her masculine side, Yoshizawa's first lead came in 2001 with the release of the single "Mr. Moonlight: Ai no Big Band", in which she played a dashing playboy character.

On May 6, 2007, Yoshizawa graduated from Morning Musume after the band's last performance in the Sexy 8 Beat Spring Tour, which took place at Saitama Super Arena.

On October 12, 2008, Yoshizawa paired up with fellow ex-Morning Musume member Rika Ishikawa in the new unit Hangry & Angry in collaboration with the Harajuku fashion store of the same name.

On September 6, 2018, at 7:00 am, Yoshizawa ran a red light in Nakano, Tokyo while driving a van at 86 kilometers per hour and hit a female cyclist, who then collided with a male pedestrian.

After fleeing the scene, Yoshizawa reported to the incident to the police and returned 15 minutes later, where she was arrested for allegedly causing a hit-and-run accident while driving under the influence.

[16][17] A breathalyzer test revealed 0.58 mg of alcohol per liter of exhaled air, four times the legal limit in Japan.

[21] As a result of the incident, Yoshizawa retired from the entertainment industry and voluntarily stepped down from her position as the public relations ambassador of her hometown, Miyoshi, Saitama.