AKB48
[3] Akimoto has expanded the AKB48 concept to several girl groups within Japan, and internationally in Mainland China, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines and Malaysia.[28] On December 8, 20 members debuted as Team A in the AKB48 Theater[29] performing "Party ga Hajimaru yo" (PARTYが始まるよ)[30] to an audience of seven; attendance quickly increased.[31][32] In January 2006, AKB48 cafe waitress Mariko Shinoda joined Team A as a "1.5 generation" member when her popularity with patrons prompted Akimoto to give her a special audition.[37] The group performed "Aitakatta" on the New Year's Eve TV program 58th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen as a part of the "Nihon ga Hokoru Saisentan![50] Its music video and lyrics hinted at the subject of enjo kōsai (compensated dating, remotely related to escort services outside Japan), triggering controversy and negative reviews.The group's seventh major-label single (its ninth overall), "Romance, Irane", was released on January 23[56] and reached number six on the Oricon Top 10 chart in its first week.[citation needed] That month Ayaka Kikuchi was the first member to be fired from the group, for "immature behavior" involving a leaked purikura photo of her with a boyfriend.[82] On October 23, AKB48 represented Japan at the seventh Asia Song Festival, organized by the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, at Seoul Olympic Stadium.[85] AKB48 member Mayu Watanabe appeared on the cover of the December issue of the idol magazine UP to boy with Airi Suzuki from the Japanese girl group Cute, the first gravure collaboration between Hello!One of its concert venues, the Yokohama Arena, was used for a two-day charity event beginning on March 26 and 12 AKB48 members attended the Okinawa International Movie Festival that day for the same purpose.[104] On June 22, Oricon reported that for the first half of 2011 AKB48 topped the album sales charts and had the best- and second-best-selling singles ("Everyday, Kachūsha" and "Sakura no Ki ni Narō").[13] On January 22 (the final day of its "AKB48 Request Hour Set List Best 100 2012" concert series at Tokyo Dome City Hall) AKB48 members performed the new "Give Me Five!"[137] On June 24 AKB48 announced the promotion of six trainees from the 10th and 11th generations[138] and its third rock-paper-scissors tournament (scheduled for September 18) to determine the lineup for the group's 29th single, "Eien Pressure".[159] On July 31, during AKB48's summer concert series at the Sapporo Dome, guest and former group headliner Atsuko Maeda sang her new solo single ("Time Machine Nante Iranai").[166] Its music video was directed by Shusuke Kaneko, known for the Heisei Gamera trilogy Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack and the live-action film version of Death Note.[167] On December 11 the group released its 34th single, "Suzukake no Ki no Michi de 'Kimi no Hohoemi o Yume ni Miru' to Itte Shimattara Bokutachi no Kankei wa Dō Kawatte Shimau no ka, Bokunari ni Nan-nichi ka Kangaeta Ue de no Yaya Kihazukashii Ketsuron no Yō na Mono",[168] and on December 31 longtime member Yuko Oshima announced on Kōhaku Uta Gassen that she was leaving the group.[218] On January 24, 2016, during the final day of the Request Hour 2016 at Tokyo Dome City, AKB48 performed their 43rd single "Kimi wa Melody" which released on March 9, 2016.[219] Kimi Wa Melody is the second single to bring back graduates Atsuko Maeda, Yuko Oshima, Mariko Shinoda and Tomomi Itano being featured on the main track.On December 12, Mayu Watanabe, Rina Izuta and Saya Kawamoto announced a new subsidiary to the AKB48 group known as 'AKB48 China' during a Shanghai press conference and fan meet.Rino Sashihara won the poll for the third consecutive year, this time with 246,376 votes,[226] and served as the center performer for their 49th single "#sukinanda", released on August 30.[270] On June 29, AKB48 confirmed that 6 members Erii Chiba, Ma Chia-Ling, Mion Mukaichi, Yuzuka Yoshihashi, Nanami Asai and Narumi Kuranoo were infected with COVID-19, and Sakaguchi Nagisa needed to have a break from the idol group's activities for a period of time.[291] In 2009, the concept of senbatsu sōsenkyo (選抜総選挙, "selection general election") was introduced, which allowed fans to vote their favorite members into the promotional line up for one of their annual singles.[307] The second, Documentary of AKB48: Show Must Go On Shōjo-tachi wa Kizutsuki Nagara, Yume wo Miru, was released on January 27, 2012[119] and earned $3,984,152 at the Japanese box office.[308] The third, Documentary of AKB48: No Flower Without Rain: Shōjo Tachi wa Namida no Ato ni Nani o Miru?, was released on February 2, 2013[309] and earned $2,269,118 at the Japanese box office.[citation needed] In 2014 Namco Bandai developed Sailor Zombie: AKB48 Arcade Edition, as a tie-in for the television drama going by the same name, in which AKB48 members are also the main cast.[citation needed] The Majisuka Gakuen series[321] and Sakura Karano Tegami [ja] feature group members in dramatic roles.[19][337] It set a record for "most same-product television endorsements within 24 hours" on February 28, 2012, after 90 group members appeared in 90 different commercials aired in the Kanto, Kansai and Tokai regions of Japan.[338] Japanese ambassador to the United States Ichirō Fujisaki, on meeting the group during its visit to Washington, D.C., said that "AKB" stood for "adorable, kind and beautiful"."[341] In February 2013 group member Minami Minegishi, had her head shaved and appeared in a YouTube video to apologize after it was reported by a tabloid that she had spent the night with a man in violation of her contract; she was demoted to the status of trainee.[342] A 2016 NHK documentary reported that the popularity of AKB48's handshake sessions may contribute to the decline of romantic relationships among young Japanese people, including "herbivore men", which triggered debates.
AKB48 GroupPeacock TheaterAkihabaraDefstarYou, Be Cool! / KingAvex TraxAvex GroupGalaxyStone MusicGenie MusicUniversal Music JapanList of AKB48 membersList of former members of AKB48Japanese idolYasushi Akimotogirl groupsinglesOriconWeekly Singles Charthighest selling musical act in JapanTeacher TeacherBillboardSoundscanJapanese idolsDon Quijote storeMisaki IwasaThe Washington PostAmerican IdolMariko ShinodaNTT DoCoMoSakura no HanabiratachiSkirt, HirariDefStar RecordsSony Music EntertainmentAitakattaNippon SeinenkanShinjuku58th NHK Kōhaku Uta GassenSeifuku ga Jama o Suruenjo kōsaiKeibetsu Shiteita AijōBingo!Yūhi o Miteiru ka?Romance, IraneSakura no Hanabiratachi 2008antitrust lawsSakae, NagoyaKing RecordsAyaka KikuchipurikuraŌgoe DiamondJurina Matsui10nen SakuraNamida Surprise!Iiwake MaybeJapan ExpoWebster HallRecording Industry Association of JapanSakura no ShioriKamikyokutachiPonytail to ChouchouAnime ExpoAsia Song FestivalSeoul Olympic StadiumBeginnerMayu WatanabeUP to boyAiri SuzukigravureHello! ProjectAnime Festival AsiaErena OnoSakura no Ki ni NarōBeginner'sKoko ni Ita Koto2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunamiYokohama ArenaOkinawa International Movie FestivalRecochokuFukuokaKyushuThe Straits Timesfusion cuisine22nd Golden Melody AwardsEveryday, Kachūshahandshake eventAimi EguchiSony Music JapanFlying Getrock-paper-scissorsKaze wa FuiteiruUe kara MarikoJapan Record AwardsGive Me Five!Morning MusumeTokyo Dome City HallAKB0048SatelightYoshimasa HiraikeTokyo DomeAtsuko MaedaGingham CheckManatsu no Sounds Good!Nippon BudokanYuko OshimaYuki KashiwagiRino SashiharaEien PressureAki TakajōHaruka NakagawaSae MiyazawaMariya SuzukiMinami TakahashiAyaka UmedaSugar RushWreck-It Ralphdating simulation gameJapan Record AwardNissan StadiumTomomi ItanoTomomi KasaiSayonara CrawlFuji TVTime Machine Nante IranaiKoisuru Fortune CookieMinami Minegishi