Idol groups have been popular in Japan for decades, influencing culture and music history to a high degree. The most popular idol group of them all is AKB48, which is currently holding sales records nationwide. 

AKB48 is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group’s theater is located. The group has expanded since then to include over 130 members as of December 2015. The memebers aged from their early teens to their mid-20s. AKB48’s producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with its own theater and performing daily so fans could always see them live. This “idols you can meet” concept includes teams which can rotate performances and perform simultaneously at several events and “handshake” events, where fans can meet group members. Akimoto has expanded the AKB48 concept to several sister groups in China, Japan and Indonesia, with upcoming groups announced for the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.

The group is one of the highest-earning musical performers in Japan, with 2013 sales of over $128 million, and has been characterized as a social phenomenon. As of December 2015 the group has sold over 41 million records, including over 36 million singles and over 5 millon albums. As of September 2016, the group has sold over 40 million singles. AKB48 is the highest selling musical act in Japan in terms of singles sold and the highest by a girl group.

The group is split into several teams, reducing its members’ workload, since the theater’s near-daily performance is by only one team and enabling AKB48 to perform simultaneously in several places. According to member Misaki Iwasa, each team has its own theme. Team A represents freedom; Team B is idol-like, with cute costumes, and Team K has a strong, powerful image. According to an early press release the group was intended to have 16 members on each of three teams, for a total membership of 48; but its membership has varied over time, and has exceeded 120 people. New members are called trainees who are understudies for the group, performing occasionally in the theater as a team. In addition to their performances with the group, members are promoted by the Japanese mass media. AKB48 regularly hosts events, where fans can interact with the members, such as taking pictures or shaking hands with the members. 

AKB48’s line up has frequently changed due to departures, admissions, team rotations, and transfers between AKB48 and its various sister groups. As of January 5, 2017 the group consists of 136 members, divided among several teams. The group members’ ages range from their early teens to over 20, and they are selected from regular auditions. Members are not allowed to date, and must be well-behaved; any violation of these restrictions used to be punished, possibly by expulsion from the group. AKB48 has a system that allows members to “graduate” from the group when they are older and are replaced by trainees who are promoted. 

AKB regularly appears on TV and in commercials, the group is extremely present and popular. Have you heard a song by them before?