Idol manager resigns after attack on singer, company claims no group members...
Management company explains slow response, maintains no members of NGT48 illegally supplied attackers with victim’s home address. While a popular idol singer being stalked by obsessed fans is, sadly,...
View ArticleAKB48’s new idol outfits are so stylish everyone’s talking about the company...
And you can browse all of their outfits in detail on the Instagram page of the company that made them. AKB48 has been one of the most popular artists in Japan for years, selling so many CDs that they...
View Article“There are many mentally unwell girls in AKB48” claims ex-member of Japan’s...
Five-year veteran talks about indirect “cries for help.” Being an idol singer in Japan is at least as much about the personality you radiate as the vocals you produce. Sure, idol songs may be almost...
View ArticleFormer AKB48 idol singer gets proposed to on first date, says yes, is now...
Graduating from Japan’s biggest idol group means liberation from its no-romance clause, and this former member has now found the love of her life. It’s pretty standard for idol singers in Japan to have...
View ArticleIdol 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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