Idol singer mega-group AKB48 cancels annual General Election following string...
Event will be skipped for the first time in 10 years, leaving fans to find some other way to throw money at their favorite idol units. For idol singer fans in Japan, the biggest event of the year isn’t...
View ArticleNew single moves AKB48 to second place on all-time Japanese CD sales list,...
Idol group’s newest song is its 36th million-seller in a row, but a recent change may mean it’s leaving a ton of money on the table. Last week, AKB48 announced that it’s cancelling its “General...
View ArticleIdol says her on-stage apology after being attacked was something her...
NGT48 members says she was told that if she didn’t apologize, another idol would be made to read a letter of apology for her. On Thursday, Niigata-based idol group NGT48 announced the results of an...
View ArticleIdol group that covered up singer’s attack by fans at home dismantles team...
NGT48 shakeup comes after months of scandal. Niigata Prefecture-based idol group NGT48 has been at the center of attention multiple times over the past few months, and never for a happy reason. The...
View ArticleBeautiful idol singer leaves show business, opens delicious ramen restaurant...
She used to be affiliated with AKB48, Japan’s biggest idol group, but now ramen fans are the ones singing about her amazing noodles. There’s a stereotypical image of a ramen restaurant owner in Japan....
View ArticleAKB48, Japan’s biggest idol singer group, apologizes for selling “Date Tickets”
Tickets promised to let fans “Experience what it’s like to be an AKB48 member’s lover.” It’s pretty common knowledge that Japanese idol singer talent agencies widely prohibits the onstage talent from...
View ArticleTokyo’s AKB48 idol-themed cafe announces sudden, permanent closure
Only a few weeks left to visit the idol singer eatery, plus possibly one more Akihabara landmark. AKB48, Japan’s most popular idol group, gets its name from having 48 core members and being based in...
View ArticleAKB48’s final original member, who had to shave her head, is leaving the group
Last remaining member of original group of 20 founding idols announces graduation, says she “still loves AKB48.” There’s a famous logic exercise that goes something like this: If you replace first the...
View ArticleGundam conquers AKB48? Mobile suit cafe closes to expand, may take over idol...
Robot fans applauded elimination of idol “eyesore” next to mecha anime otaku attraction. The majority of Japan’s anime-themed restaurants are pop-up operations, serving hard-core fans of a particular...
View ArticleIdol-turned-ramen restaurant owner has great plan to make sure her staff is...
Former AKB48 idol channels her faith that ramen fans will be back at her restaurant in the future into making sure workers get paid in the present. While restaurants in Japan haven’t been ordered to...
View ArticleAKB48 member tests positive for coronavirus
Japanese idol now receiving treatment in hospital. AKB48 member Kayoko Takita was confirmed to have been infected with coronavirus yesterday. According to the idol group’s management company, the...
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AKB48’s Indonesian spin-off group JKT48 forced to downsize due to pandemic
JKT48 + COVID-19 = -26 As the pandemic continues to stretch on many people and businesses are struggling to get by. Live entertainment in particular has had to navigate the ebb and flow of risk in...
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Former idol singer arrested on fraud charges, police say she found victims...
Former SKE48 member claimed to be an investing expert with a can’t-fail get-rich-quick scheme. Show business is a young person’s game, and that goes double for being an idol singer, where most...
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AKB48 signs removed from exterior of AKB48 Theater building in Akihabara
Idol group’s home-turf ads replaced with ones for hit Chinese video game. To non-fans, AKB48 might seem like any other Japanese idol unit. But a number of key factors set the industry’s top group...
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Hello Kitty and AKB48 collaborate for the ultimate fan merchandise from Thank...
Hello Kitty dons yet another hat by becoming a member of one of Japan’s most popular idol groups. Hello Kitty is known to have tried many things and worked many jobs, from becoming part of a work of...
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Former AKB48 idol who had to shave her head announces marriage to YouTube star
The idol singer formerly shamed for being in a relationship is now happily married! Life isn’t easy for idol singers, and in Minami Minegishi’s case, the road was a hard one. The 29-year-old celebrity...
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Idol singer from Keyakizaka46 says she’s now working as a Tokyo bar hostess
”This is a type of work I’ve really been longing to do.” Youth is highly prized in Japanese show business, doubly so in the music sector, and triply so for idol singers. That means many idols retire...
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Idol supergroup AKB48 abolishes team system, team sayonara concerts to be...
Dissolution of teams marks end of 18-year era for Japan’s biggest idol singer group. On Saturday, Japanese idol singer supergroup AKB48 held the first of its Spring Concert 2023 performances at Pia...
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Former AKB48 idol to take on lead role in live-action Spirited Away stage play
Four actresses will now share the protagonist part for the adaptation of the Studio Ghibli anime. Last weekend the live-action stage play version of Spirited Away held its final performance of 2023,...
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Foreign man arrested for grabbing former AKB48 idol on Tokyo street, forcing...
Original AKB48 member was in Shibuya for book launch event. In 2005, Haruna Kojima became one of the inaugural members of AKB48, the Akihabara-based multi-vocalist unit that would go on to dominate...
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