{"id":6581,"date":"2014-08-12T14:45:53","date_gmt":"2014-08-12T13:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=6581"},"modified":"2022-02-11T11:08:19","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T11:08:19","slug":"akb48-the-surprising-truth-behind-the-worlds-biggest-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/12\/akb48-the-surprising-truth-behind-the-worlds-biggest-band\/","title":{"rendered":"AKB48: The Surprising Truth Behind the World&#8217;s Biggest Band"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>They\u2019re one of the most successful pop acts in the world, and yet unless you\u2019ve ever been to Japan you\u2019ve probably never even heard of them. Just who, exactly, are AKB48?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>AKB is short for Akihabara, an area of Tokyo known primarily for cheap electronics, comic book stores, Maid Caf\u00e9s, and&#8230; <em>ahem<\/em>&#8230; adult goods. It is here that AKB48, a band that started life with 48 members but whose ranks have since swelled to a staggering 140, maintain their own theatre and perform to their fans every single night.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-6572 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1.jpg?w=660\" alt=\"akiba1\" width=\"660\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1.jpg 2336w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-1200x797.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-900x598.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-720x478.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-1440x957.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-390x259.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-780x518.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akiba1-510x339.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In a minute I\u2019ll get to telling you just how AKB48 launched their coup de grace on the hearts and minds of millions \u2013 but first let me give some introduction to the world of J-Pop (that\u2019s Japanese pop music) and the Japanese \u201cidol\u201d craze.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/newsletter\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32186 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-6.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"256\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Now, this is a subject that deserves a blog post of its very own \u2013 and it will get one in good time \u2013 but for now the very briefest of backgrounds will have to suffice. Idols, or \u201caidoru\u201d (\u30a2\u30a4\u30c9\u30eb) as they are referred to in Japanese, are young pop stars and actors who are plucked from obscurity by entertainment agencies and, despite relatively little obvious talent, are catapulted from girl- or boy-next-door to being idolised to the pitch of hysteria by legions of screaming, wild-eyed, glowstick-waving fans.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6573\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6573\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/sylvie-vartan-10434.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6573\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/sylvie-vartan-10434.jpg\" alt=\"Sylvie Vartan, a French singer who became extremely popular in Japan during the 1970s, is sometimes credited with triggering the &quot;idol&quot; craze\" width=\"400\" height=\"301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/sylvie-vartan-10434.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/sylvie-vartan-10434-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/sylvie-vartan-10434-390x293.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6573\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sylvie Vartan, a French singer who became extremely popular in Japan during the 1960s, is sometimes credited with triggering the &#8220;idol&#8221; craze<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The prerequisites for being an idol are youth, cuteness, and a squeaky-clean public record. (Notice how I didn\u2019t mention talent). Now, you may think that in criticising idols\u2019 lack of talent I\u2019m letting my own (impeccable, I might say) musical tastes eclipse my impartial evaluation of their musical worth. I mean, just because you don\u2019t like listening to Mozart doesn\u2019t mean he isn\u2019t good, right?<\/p>\n<p>But this isn\u2019t just that I prefer Metallica to Morning Musume (though obviously I do). Mediocrity is written into the whole concept behind AKB48.<\/p>\n<p>AKB48 is no ordinary pop group \u2013 they are \u201cidols you can meet\u201d. In <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.wsj.com\/japanrealtime\/2011\/12\/28\/the-man-who-made-akb48\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an interview with The Wall Street Journal<\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>in 2011, the pop group\u2019s creator, Yasushi Akimoto, explained that \u201cAKB48 girls are \u2018unfinished.\u2019 In other words, they\u2019re still not very good at singing or dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It sounds like a poor concept for a band, but Akimoto is no fool.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6574\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6574\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6574\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Yasushi Akimoto, the man behind it all\" width=\"300\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-1024x807.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-1200x946.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-720x567.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-1440x1135.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-390x307.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-780x615.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/115-yasushiakimotoa1-900x709.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6574\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yasushi Akimoto, the man behind it all<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Akimoto hoped that this very mundanity would be the key to the band\u2019s success, and by gum was he on the money. Giving young fans idols that they could relate to, whose progress and improvement they could follow from \u201ctrainee\u201d members to \u201cgraduates\u201d \u2013 whom they could actually meet for themselves at the band\u2019s various \u201chandshake events\u201d \u2013 has turned AKB48 into a social phenomenon.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6575\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6575\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"An AKB48 fan meets one of his idols at a &quot;handshake event&quot;. These events were cancelled earlier in 2014 after two band members were attacked by a man wielding a saw at one of the events. The girls sustained minor injuries and the events were resumed with increased security in July.\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake-900x626.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake-720x500.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake-390x271.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake-780x542.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/handshake-510x354.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6575\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An AKB48 fan meets one of his idols at a &#8220;handshake event&#8221;. These events were cancelled earlier in 2014 after two band members were attacked by a man wielding a saw at one of the events. The girls sustained minor injuries and the events were resumed with increased security in July.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This staggering success has seen Akimoto\u2019s prot\u00e9g\u00e9s \u2013 who began as a group of 48 but now number no less than 140 \u2013 become officially the biggest pop group in the world. Such has been their success that they now have no fewer than 11 sister acts based in other Japanese cities and even in other Asian countries, including SKE48 (based in Nagoya\u2019s Sakae district), NMB48 (of Osaka\u2019s Namba district) and JKT48 (of Jakarta, Indonesia).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6576\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6576\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-6576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb.jpg?w=660\" alt=\"And this isn't even all of them....\" width=\"660\" height=\"408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb.jpg 1417w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-1024x633.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-1200x742.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-900x556.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-720x445.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-390x241.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-780x482.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb-510x315.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6576\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">And this isn&#8217;t even all of them&#8230;.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>So AKB48 is a girl band with 140 members. Logistically, how on earth does that even work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unlike mainstream bands who subsist on gigs and arena tours, AKB48 have their own theatre in Tokyo where they perform to their legions every single night. Of course, nobody has the stamina to actually fulfil such a punishing schedule, so the band itself is split up into teams of around 18 members who split the duties amongst themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Again, unlike mainstream bands, the list of members of AKB48 is constantly rolling. All the girls are aged between 13 and their early 20s, and when members outgrow the group they move on to become \u201cgraduates\u201d. There is also a rolling ranking system within the group, and fans are encouraged to choose a favourite member to support in the televised elections that are held to determine the rankings\u00a0within the group each year. To obtain a ballot, fans must first purchase the \u201celection single.\u201d It is, quite simply, marketing genius \u2013 and AKB48 singles can sell over a million copies in their release day alone.<\/p>\n<p>Add to this a collection of TV shows (including \u201cAKBINGO!\u201d, \u201cWeekly AKB\u201d, and \u201cNaruhodo Highschool\u201d), their own manga comic book series, a monthly newspaper and a collection of video games and you have an economic powerhouse of enormous proportions. AKB48 even feature on a Japanese postage stamp!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6577\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6577\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb148.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb148.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"AKB 1\/48 - a dating simulation game based on the island of Guam\" width=\"300\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb148.jpg 504w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb148-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akb148-390x277.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6577\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AKB 1\/48 &#8211; a dating simulation game based on the island of Guam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>All of this is quite remarkable in itself, but AKB48 gets more interesting still.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The band has courted controversy in the past with some of their lyrics and videos. One of the songs to have come under scrutiny is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kiwi-musume.com\/lyrics\/akb48\/seifukugajamawosuru\/seifukugajamawosuru.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cSeifu ga Jama o Suru\u201d<\/a>\u00a0(\u201cMy school uniform is getting in the way\u201d) for its racy lyrics, and the vaguely provocative video for the 2010 megahit \u201cHeavy Rotation\u201d (in reference to when a song gets overplayed on the radio \u2013 i.e. it gets played on \u201cheavy rotation\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lkHlnWFnA0c&amp;w=560&amp;h=315]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>OK, so some of the lyrics and costumes are a little risqu\u00e9\u00a0when you consider how young some of the band members are, but there\u2019s nothing outright shocking here. What <em>is<\/em> particularly interesting is that despite their raunchy lyrics and recurring themes of love and dating (including several dating simulation games featuring their images) AKB48 girls themselves are not allowed to date.<\/p>\n<p>One of the girls, 20-year-old Minami Minegishi, caused controversy in 2013 when she was photographed leaving her boyfriend\u2019s apartment after having allegedly spent the night there. AKB members who break the rules are considered to have betrayed their fans by tarnishing the illusion of their purity (and, crucially, their availability), and for her infraction Minegishi was accordingly demoted to bottom-ranked \u201cresearch student\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The odd love scandal is not unusual for AKB48 members, a few of whom have had to \u201cgraduate\u201d or transfer to less popular sister groups in the past as a result of similar scandals, but it didn\u2019t stop there. Minegishi\u2019s case drew world headlines because of what she did next \u2013 shaving her head (a traditional Japanese gesture of contrition) and releasing a tearful four-minute video in which she makes a grovelling apology for her actions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-21299324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The video<\/a>\u00a0was posted on the group\u2019s official website but has since been removed amid unconfirmed accusations that Minegishi had been forced into the act of repentance by her management.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6578\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6578\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/minami.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6578\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/minami.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Minami Minegishi in her apology video, in which she says &quot;I don't believe that just by doing this will be forgiven for what I did&quot;\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/minami.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/minami-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/minami-390x219.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/minami-510x287.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6578\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minami Minegishi in her apology video, in which she says &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe that just by doing this will be forgiven for what I did&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Leaving aside the question of whether it is ethical to forbid a group of teenagers and young adults from any kind of romantic encounter (no matter how innocent) on pain of demotion \u2013 is it even legal?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Opinion is divided on that count, with some legal commentators arguing on either side. For a discussion of the issue, you might turn to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2014\/07\/24\/national\/akb48-singer-co-writes-book-constitution\/#.U9NVOYBdU2Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cConstitutionalism\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a book about the Japanese constitution co-written by an associate professor at Kyushu University School of Law and 18-year-old AKB48 member Natsuki Uchiyama. Yep, they\u2019ve got their fingers in the politics pie as well. Uchiyama is known for reciting parts of the Japanese constitution onstage during performances (she knows the whole thing off by heart, if you can believe it), so I guess if anyone should know the answer it&#8217;d be her.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6579\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6579\" style=\"width: 280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/280px-uchiyamanatsukib2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6579\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/280px-uchiyamanatsukib2014.jpg\" alt=\"Natsuki Uchiyama: Crzy about the Constitution\" width=\"280\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/280px-uchiyamanatsukib2014.jpg 280w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/280px-uchiyamanatsukib2014-239x300.jpg 239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6579\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Natsuki Uchiyama: Crazy about the Constitution<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Other campaigns in which AKB48 have flexed their marketing oomph have been a Tokyo Metropolitan Police traffic safety campaign in 2010, a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.japantoday.com\/category\/national\/view\/govt-enlists-akb48-as-gatekeepers-for-suicide-prevention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suicide prevention campaign<\/a>\u00a0in 2012, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=k8BBE4VMMwQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">military recruitment campaign<\/a>\u00a0and even <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.wsj.com\/japanrealtime\/2012\/05\/29\/japan-gets-akb48-bond-girls-on-the-cheap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a campaign to sell government bonds for tsunami relief.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Then things get stranger.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2011, AKB48 introduced a new member: Aimi Eguchi.<\/p>\n<p>[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nJKIi2s2ZOQ&amp;w=560&amp;h=315]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s pretty, cute, innocent \u2013 she ticks all the \u201cidol\u201d boxes. And none of those boxes stipulates that she has to be real.<\/p>\n<p>Aimi Eguchi, as it turned out, was not an actual person but a computer-generated hybrid of the \u201cbest features\u201d of six of her bandmates. This was not revealed to her fans until after she had already made her debut and appeared in a Glico advert on television.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019d have thought that telling your fans that one of their idols isn\u2019t actually a person at all would be more crushing than anything poor old Minegishi ever did.<\/p>\n<p>The AKB management team were obviously left to run amok on the CGI tools in 2011, because in the same year the band released a promotional internet service called \u201cAKB Official Net\u201d, with a feature that allows fans to combine their own face with that of their favourite AKB48 member to create a hypothetical lovechild. It\u2019s called AKBaby, and the advertisement features a photo of band member Yuko Oshima breastfeeding a baby, with the caption \u201cWant to make a baby with me?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6580\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6580\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akbaby.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6580\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akbaby.jpg\" alt=\"Weird? I don't even know where to begin.\" width=\"500\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akbaby.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akbaby-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/akbaby-390x225.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6580\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Weird? I don&#8217;t even know where to begin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Proponents argue that AKB48 offers fans the chance to feel closer to their idols, providing good role models for their young followers and giving the girls themselves fifteen minutes in the spotlight that they can use as a platform to launch their future success. Nay-sayers cry exploitation and moneygrubbing. Whichever camp you fall into, there\u2019s no denying that in terms of sheer popularity, AKB48 is onto a winning combination.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you\u2019d like to get a piece of the AKB action on your visit to Japan, you\u2019ll need to enter a ticket raffle by email from one month in advance. Visit the girls\u2019 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.akb48.co.jp\/english\/overseas\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official website<\/a>\u00a0for details. InsideJapan can of course assist with the process, but cannot guarantee tickets.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F6581\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! They\u2019re one of the most successful pop acts in the world, and yet unless you\u2019ve ever been to Japan you\u2019ve probably never even heard of them. Just who, exactly, are AKB48? AKB is short for Akihabara, an area of Tokyo known primarily for cheap electronics, comic book [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2525],"tags":[2407,2415,2414,2413,2412,2411,2410,2409,2408,1279,2406,2405,1761,1749,1639,1345,1281],"class_list":["post-6581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-arts-and-entertainment","tag-j-pop","tag-the-worlds-biggest-band","tag-akbaby","tag-aimi-eguchi","tag-natsuki-uchiyama","tag-minami-minegishi","tag-yasushi-akimoto","tag-aidoru","tag-japanese-idol","tag-akb48","tag-most-successful-pop-acts-in-the-world","tag-akb","tag-jpop","tag-japanese-pop","tag-hyperjapan","tag-big-in-japan","tag-akihabara"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6581"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32204,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6581\/revisions\/32204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}