Tears for fears: The reaction to the shocking video by AKB48 team member Minami Minegishi has been swift and varied. | JAPAN TIMES GRAPHIC

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AKB48 member’s ‘penance’ shows flaws in idol culture

by Ian Martin

The image of a young girl in front of a camera, her head recently shaved, sobbing into the lens is one that’s guaranteed to shock. But when that girl is a key member of idol group AKB48, the reaction is bound to be stronger.

After being caught leaving the home of Generations boy-band member Alan Shirahama by weekly gossip rag Shukan Bunshun, AKB48 Team B member Minami Minegishi was instantly demoted to the idol group’s “trainee” team. More shockingly, a video was then posted on the group’s official YouTube channel in which the newly shorn Minegishi gradually works herself up into a torrent of tears, punctuated with long bows of supplication and gasped apologies, as she begs forgiveness from her “wonderful and sweet fans” for her “thoughtless deed.” She claims, implausibly, that the decision to shave her head was hers alone.

In Japan, the cutting of hair is often symbolic of a new start, or in more extreme cases of penance. The destruction of sexuality inherent in shaving it completely back, however, brings to mind more the humiliations inflicted by the French Resistance on women accused of sleeping with the occupying Nazi soldiers during what they called the épuration sauvage or “wild purge.” Minegishi’s only crime, however, was having a boyfriend.

AKB48′s members are contractually forbidden to have any kind of romantic relationships and they are punished if they do. Last year, member Yuka Masuda was forced out of the group under similar circumstances, while Rina Sashihara was “exiled” to Fukuoka-based sister group HKT48 (after another tear-stained apology to fans) when an ex-boyfriend revealed details of their relationship.

What is happening here is that the protection of fans’ fragile fantasies automatically trumps the basic human right to a life outside that fantasy framework. Though as lawyer Hifumi Okunuki pointed out in a Japan Times article on Jan. 22, such an arrangement is probably illegal under Japanese labor laws.

The central problem of groups such as AKB48 is the defence that by dating, idols are ruining fans’ fantasies. This is key to understanding not just AKB48 and their sister groups, but pretty much all idol culture. The groups are not just selling music, they are selling a fantasy narrative. It’s one that everyone knows is fake, which is why it is imperative that fans’ suspension of disbelief be maintained at all costs — with severe punishments for those who step out of line.

Reaction to Minegishi’s video among AKB48 fans online has generally been of the variety that she only has herself to blame and that the punishment is deserved. The “don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time,” defence is one of the most common arguments in these situations and one of the silliest.

Fans buy into the narrative at an early stage. At the AKB48 theater in Akihabara, fans can watch the new members stumble, fluff lines and maybe cry a bit on stage. Gradually, though, they can see them leave the background and develop into full frontline stars. The fans and the group members take an emotional journey together, and even though it’s a journey along a set of rails determined by marketing, management and industrial factors, at least they can believe that the girls themselves are sincere.

In order to be sincere, though, they cannot be ordinary girls. They cannot have lives outside the structured environment in which the fans experience them. In this sense, fans are just as complicit in Minegishi’s humiliation as producer Yasushi Akimoto and AKB48′s management.

Some fans, in particular those from overseas, are crying foul. “No!” they say, “You have gone too far, Mr. Akimoto! Even though she did something wrong, this punishment is cruel!” However, these fans are also guilty. By accepting that Minegishi transgressed in the first place they make it simply a matter of degree, when the system of which they are part — which believes that it has any right or say over the private lives of others — is what is really to blame.

The deeper truth is that idol fan culture, as well as the closely related anime and manga fan culture, is institutionally incapable of dealing with independence in young women. It seeks out and fetishizes weaknesses and vulnerabilities and calls it moé, it demands submissiveness, endless tearful displays of gratitude, a lack of confidence, and complete control over their sexual independence. AKB48 takes this a step further by allowing its (largely male) fans to sit in annual judgment, voting members up or down in the group’s hierarchy. The danger is of this fantasy creeping out more widely into society: Japan currently ranks at 101 in the world gender-equality rankings (79 places below the United States, 32 below China, and two below Azerbaijan). What will a 13-year-old girl think when she sees a humiliated member apologizing for natural human behavior?

Minegishi, who celebrated her coming of age last month — supposedly her final step into adulthood — will submit to her training and re-education; she will prostrate herself before the fans and beg for their acceptance, which they will gracefully bestow once she is deemed to have done penance. This whole episode will become part of the all-encompassing AKB48 narrative, but the framework of that narrative will continue to go unquestioned as long as fans cling to misogynistic fantasies and as long as Akimoto thinks he can still make money off of them.

Update: Minami Minegishi’s apology video was made private on the night of Feb. 2, reportedly due to requests from her fans.

  • http://twitter.com/smacklooshis smacklooshis

    Bad for society and all that, but they’re still more interesting than a lot of other bands out there.

    • Edohiguma

      Society will move on. 10 years from now nobody will remember this incident.

      • MauMau

        Which makes it all the more sadder, that no one will remember this, which means it won’t change. That this objectification and humiliation of girls like her will continue, that we will condemn these girls for just being girls and having desires outside of pleasing their fragile minded fans.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Motus-Fort/100000237193938 Motus Fort

        she will remember the humility, it will scar her. Is that ok?

    • Brian Lynchehaun

      Epic fail.

      That you find the objectification and emotional destruction of young women “more interesting than a lot of other bands out there” speaks *volumes*.

      That part where the article talks about the complicity of the fans? It’s talking about *you*.

  • http://twitter.com/malamura malamura

    lol Cool haircut. they should exile her to HKT too

  • http://www.greenteagraffiti.com/ Jangta

    Spot on article with a deeper analysis of the AKB48 hair-shaving scandal. It’s pretty bad and quite inhumane.

    It’s true that not all AKB48 fans are like that. Most are legit, respectful, and nice fans.

    Yet, there’s a very large number of fans that spoil it for the rest of the AKB48 community. These fans have their hands dirty in scandals too.

    A lot of them literally control how they should act, appear, and talk. If the group does something bad, these not-so-nice fans spread rumors and fuel the gossip rumors, even if it is false.

    Then, you have shame moments like what Minami Minegishi did with her hair. The terrible fans don’t want to take responsibility, sadly. We have a similar bullying, cult-like fandom here in Korea, where if the K-pop idol singers do anything “not deemed appropriate to the fans’ idea of perfection, they get hated and threatened in a heartbeat.

    Management also has its hands dirty for the same reasons above. They feed off the rumors, gossip, and what the bad fans want. Thus, they’ll do stupid stuff like humiliating the poor girl above. Like the terrible fans, management will not own up to their mistakes.

    I feel it will take a majority of good-hearted fans or big, influential news media telling both the horrible fans and management off to prevent any more bullying. Let’s hope this movement can happen soon.

    • Edohiguma

      In regards to the original article: It would have been over with the demotion. She wasn’t forced to shave her hair. She chose to do it herself. Considering what is known of her personality I don’t find it implausible at all that she’d chose this herself. And all the big names in AKB48 (assuming for a second there’s something like that) are supporting her. If she was forced to shave it would already have leaked. Habeas corpus. Prove it. Yes, it’s that simple.

      It’s funny, you blame everyone… except the people who demand to read about such scandals. The management doesn’t feed off rumors and gossip. The management feeds off selling a product and that product has a certain image. They want to protect that image, they don’t want it to get stained, because when it gets stained, it stops selling. The fans have no responsibility in this. The fan backlash was actually harmless when the news first appeared. 2ch was pretty civilized. A few fans showed where the term “fan” comes from (fanatic), but in general there was no big riot over it. Not even the media that found out about it is responsible.

      It’s the people who buy yellow press papers.

      As long as there’s a market for this there will be supply. Simple as that. When people stop wanting to know about the lives of celebrities then the supply will disappear. But we all know that will never happen. Not in Japan. Not in South Korea. Not in the UK. Not in the US. Not anywhere. Because people will always want to know. The term yellow press is relatively young, but people wanting to know about the lives of celebrities goes back to the very first moment mankind had celebrities. It’s like prostitution. It will exist as long as there are customers.

      • uzumaki1976

        Sorry dude! You’re living in la-la-land. Of course the management make money off these “scoops”. They have monetised every aspect of their idols. So much so that if a foreign distributor picks up a film starring an idol (GANTZ for example) they are not allowed to use stills/photos from the movie featuring their acts online or in foreign magazines (Like Empire and Total Film) for fear that it will harm their domestic idol calender and postcard sales. The magazines usually pay the management for new photo-spreads etc and access to the acts. It’s the same with anime. The user pays.. This is all about money because the emotionally retarded idol fans in Japan don’t seem to understand that these “idoru” are people just like them. They have to remain “pure” and “available”, so that some sad-sack otaku can fantasize about one day making them the girl of their dreams. Ha!
        The simple message hear kids is, DON’T BECOME AN IDORU. Sure, you’ll be famous, but you will earn bugger all cash and every decision you make will be decided by a committee of seedy old, greedy men in a boardroom somewhere in Tokyo. Get a degree, see the world, but do not join a pop idol group whatever you do.

      • Mellozine

        While scandal readers do have some blame along with the media as in any other scandal, Idol fans who blame idols for this kind of thing are at some degree of fault. They’re in the same camp as Seiyuu otaku, I think. The fans who buy thousands of one CD to get tons of tickets to a hand shaking event, the fans that check blogs every Christmas to make sure everything adds up and that their favorite idol or seiyuu isn’t with some man and isn’t, as I’ve seen them referred to as, “used goods.”

        In any case, no matter who is responsible. no one deserves to be treated like this and the fact that they would force her to do something like this (and even if she DID do this voluntarily, the fact that she feels she needs to is incredibly unnerving) is completely ridiculous. Even contractually obligating them to refrain even from dating? Dating! The media, the scandal readers…when you get down to it, things like that are purely to protect the fragile little fantasies of fans who can’t handle their favorite idol living her own life. As you said, as long as there are customers. And those customers are the fans.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Motus-Fort/100000237193938 Motus Fort

          it is not voluntary, coercion and pressure of bad advice make it seem like a choice, but ultimately its not. Yes bullied kids have been known to give their bullies tens of millions of yen, but it was not really a choice that the victim can make…

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Motus-Fort/100000237193938 Motus Fort

        this silly scandal is a sales technique! dont fall for it. I pity the fools who actually listen to this crap and more who buy it.

        • http://twitter.com/ianfmartin Ian Martin

          All those fans saying that she got what she deserved and that it’s her own fault are not doing so as part of a marketing strategy. And even if the whole scandal was concocted by the management (unlikely given that it coincides so closely with other big AKB news stories like Tomomi Itano’s “graduation”), the fact that they would concoct something with such misogynistic “slut-shaming” overtones says something very unpleasant about the implied values of AKB48 and their so-called fans.

  • http://www.facebook.com/berenice.laselve Bérénice La Selve

    The comments don’t do any justice to the contents of this good article.
    We can ask “what is wrong with Japan”, but to me the question is more like : “what the hell is wrong with pop culture”? From commentators dissecting every part of the body of every female star like she is a piece of meat, to commentators judging a star’s sex life that is none of their business, pop stars seem to be out there only to be weighted, torn appart, judged in an off-handed way that no one would use to address anyone they know -and therefore relate to. It seems like this constant, petty, self-agrandizing commenting is just a way to get some self-esteem. As if by taking cheap shots at famous people, commentators would feel more important themselves. In Western countries, pop starts mostly don’t care and possibly enjoy the occasional publicity provided by a bit of scandal. In Japan however the (stupid) audience seems to dictate the life of unprotected, bullied female pop stars. Turns out “Perfect Blue” was close to reality, and that’s a scary thought.

    • http://twitter.com/mataikan mataikan

      the problem is that these manufactered stars, have not even discovered themselves as human beings. Totally dependent on the machine which created and controls them. ‘Fans’ should grow up and stop consuming this. It’s the Macdolands of Music.

  • ashe

    I disagree with this assessment of the head-shaving part of this debacle. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was her own idea, and if it was, it was a good one. The entire reason she’s not allowed to have a boyfriend is because the company wants to sell her sexual availability; by de-sexualizing herself with a shaved head she’s robbed them of that image of her to trade on, and she’s done it in a way that is culturally above reproach.

  • http://www.facebook.com/bjarnilisberg Bjarni Lisberg

    This is hardly a balanced and objective news article. I expect news agencies to provide a full view, that is the perspective of all individuals involved, so that I may make my own conclusions on the matter. Not only are there too few contrasting opinions, but Mr Ian Martin also states that it is ‘implausible’ that the girl’s decision to shave her head was her own. According to who? The editor’s opinion should never be present within the article, and, in my own personal opinion, should remain as invisible as possible. This article, however, shows a clear repulsion towards the industry in question. As a result, I am being convinced to share the same belief system, or ideology, as the writer.

    • http://twitter.com/Bach_kun Bachstelze

      Except this is not something that comes from a “news agency” but an opinion piece in a newspaper. I don’t know which kind of world you live in for it to be a novelty to you. Or do you go around the websites of all newspapers in the planet commenting on all opinion pieces ranting about how it is not “objective and balanced” enough for your liking?

    • Matthew

      Whilst I agree that this could be more clearly marked as essentially an opinion piece, it is, clearly, an opinion piece. Grow up – we can all agree or disagree but there is no mechanical flaw to this article and whatever ‘bias’ you may feel it has is irrelevant; the point is, for me, that this side needs to be discussed and isn’t being so in the mainstream – so why wouldn’t the writer be allowed to take such a tone?.

      But then, all of this is what these new comment threads are for – good on the JT for now allowing them.

  • http://twitter.com/AstroNerdBoy AstroNerdBoy

    *sigh* I suppose mentioning Faust would be wrong of me. These girls get baited by the notions of fame and a bit of money (’cause there isn’t much fortune in the idol business, as I understand it) to become an idol. So, they sign bad contracts that say, “You can’t date” and whatever else they aren’t allowed to do in order to sell a fantasy.

    I’m sorry for the girl in question here and I hope that she comes out of this even stronger, better, and financially secure in whatever her next endeavor is. Hopefully, it will be a warning to other wannabe idols. However, I suspect that there will be no end of young, pretty, Japanese girls willing to give up lots to be an idol.

    • Totoro

      If Minegishi was in the group when it began, she’d have been about 13 when she started; still a child, in other words. Children shouldn’t be recruited into sexually provocative groups. It’s grooming. Her parents should have prevented it; and if parents are not willing to ensure their daughters are in an environment which is conducive to dignity and self-respect, teachers and other responsible adults should have step in.

      As far as I can see it, AKB48 is just one aspect of a big cultural problem Japan has with young girls – from enjo kyosai through to the porn industry, manga and so on. Minegishi might be 20 now, but most of the girls seem to go out of their way to look ‘underage’ (itself a vaguely defined idea in Japan, with its array of local age of consent laws). That’s not a sign of a mature society.

      I’m glad I’m not bringing up daughters here.

  • blondein_tokyo

    Infuriating!!! Yet another way to control the sexuality of young females- make them sexually available as the target of male lust, but deny them any sexual autonomy. I’m beyond disgusted. There’s a sickness in society that demands purity from women and places their moral compass between their legs, whilst allowing men the freedom to sexually objectify them. It’s exploitation pure and simple. They’re sweet faced naive 13-20-year olds with no life experience and not a hint of guile. They want so badly to be famous, so badly to shine, and they’ll happily sign away their life for a chance. But quite simply, they don’t have the maturity to understand just what it is that they are actually signing up for. They’re used by their parents, used by unscrupulous managers and producers, and used by their fans. It’s child abuse, is what it is. Ask Britney Spears what fame and becoming a virginal sex symbol at a young age did to her. I’m sorry, but this is a sign of a society that is sexually backwards and more than a little sick.

  • http://twitter.com/Bach_kun Bachstelze

    Regardless of everything else I can’t fathom how whoever decided to publish this came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea. Even in purely “business” terms, it can only hurt the image of the band. The whole “She’s only doing this to attract attention and cause a stir.” doesn’t address the question of why this was published on the *official* youtube, and not by herself.

  • http://www.facebook.com/tpgill Tom Gill

    Dear all,

    According to page 1 of yesterday’s edition, of Tokyo Sports newspaper, there is a
    significant back-story to this incident. Ian Martin mentions that “Last year…
    Rina [that should be “Rino”] Sashihara was “exiled” to Fukuoka-based sister
    group HKT48 (after another tear-stained apology to fans) when an ex-boyfriend
    revealed details of their relationship.” Apparently Sashihara’s exile was
    announced by the unpleasant Mr. Yasushi Akimoto on a radio program last June,
    at which Minami Minegishi was also present. Akimoto told Sashihara “Sashihara,
    bouzu na”, meaning “Sashihara, shave your head.” This was meant to be jocular,
    and I don’t think she did shave her head. But the point is that Minegishi could
    be heard in the background, gleefully chanting “bou~zu, bou~zu”, i.e. “shaved
    head, shaved head,” kind of like school kids chanting something humiliating
    about another kid who is being beaten up by the schoolyard bully. Tokyo Sports
    speculates that she may have painted herself into a corner by denouncing her
    fellow AKB’er for doing something she has now been proven to have done herself.
    The newspaper is honest enough to admit that it really doesn’t know whether she
    was forced or pressurized to shave her head or if she really did decide to do
    it herself. But this other incident makes the whole sorry episode that little bit
    more creepy. Mutual denunciations … 1984… Animal Farm… the Crucible.

  • Mr Nightcat

    The problem is, and has been mentioned in this article, that demanding members stay completely single is likely to be unlawful under Japan’s labour laws, and in my opinion it should be too.

    Saying that one signed the contract and bears responsibility is all well and good under fair and normal circumstances, but when the requirements within break labour laws or are grossly unfair to the signee they become unfair and unlawful terms become invalid – although only truly invalid if proper legal enforcement is made. The signed contract argument in such cases ignores those who are mistreated under the opinion that a signature should mean all responsibility, reasonable or not, must rest on the signee’s shoulders.

    Instead of just saying that she shouldn’t have entered the kitchen if she couldn’t take the heat, it’s high time gradual movements were made to make the idol industry more fair. The fact that she shaved her hair and publicly begged fans shows more that the pressure and mentality of the industry is harmful to the girls’ development and thinking than it shows devotion to the band.

  • Becks

    This whole don’t sign a contract doesnt sit well with me. She was an original member back in 2005. that would have made her, 13? How many 13 year olds would sign a contract guaranteeing fame and fortune? All they had to do is sign away some of their human rights such as a right to having a sexual partner. Most 13 year olds would because thats what being adolescence means; you haven’t developed the ability to understand see that far forward in your future and that having relationships is an important part of adult that that few are able to do without. I imagine many of these young women are coerced into agreeing to these contracts as they get older as they become vulnerable targets to these male bosses they are told they owe everything to. In its own way its a form of child abuse, I hope that it just shocks japan into proactively protecting these young women.

    • http://www.facebook.com/yuuki.nagahara Yuuki Nagahara

      I see ur point, but u do know that those girls get paid just for shaking hands with their fans right? and there a lot of fans are spending so much money to meet them, some of them even committed crimes. Of course, its their own fault thou.
      Everything come with a price and she just paid her’s. Its not like she is forced to shave her hair or something and there should be more ways to resolve the problem.
      I think she shaved her hair first, to gain attention from the public, second, revenge her company by misleading other to think the girls have to shave their heads if they r in a relationship. Plus, she can do whatever she want after she graduate from the group.
      Sorry my english is not really good since I am a japanese.

  • bleh

    Maybe when every newspaper and every TV in the world will talk of that, Japanese government, japanese medias and Japanese music industry will be forced to admit they have allowed slavery in entertainment for the past 40 years.

    In the 80s, idols, young innocent girls, like Yukiko Okada and Yasuko Endo commited suicides because of such rules. They were followed by a lot of fans. Japanese continued like nothing happened. We can wonder if they want this to happen again.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002556780615 Suzanne Ennazus

    People are just as gullible here in the UK, where celeb magazines fill their pages up with complete useless trash such as orange footballer’s girlfriends, in the hope of brainwashing some gullible and insecure teenage girls into liking idiots, so they keep selling the magazines.

  • kohkiss

    One thing that could be said is that Alan Shirahama got famous by this incident.

  • Brian Lynchehaun

    How about you stop supporting this misogynistic system instead? This isn’t about *you* feeling had about your actions, it’s about you *stopping* those misogynistic actions.

  • RichardKnights

    The thing is its excessive by US and UK standards but par-for-course in
    Japan. What most people don’t realize is that more than likely the head
    shaving thing was her idea. Why do I say this? Because Japanese
    culture is inherently group-minded while the US and UK is much more
    individualistic. She probably feels that she not just let her fans down
    but EVERYONE (family, friends, the nice man down the street that said
    she could sing, etc.) It’s hard to describe but its almost a “cultural
    shame” that she’s attempting to atone for. Most US/UK people don’t
    understand because we tend to look at it in terms of “She’s a free
    person. She can do what she likes.” but the reality is that its really
    different over there. I do have a tiny criticism about the article.
    The majority of anime and manga is similar to the media in both the US
    and the UK. Which is to say that its multifaceted and not inherently
    anti-female so its a bit unfair to blame the fans for the contractual
    practices of the idol’s corporations. Blame the labor practices or lack
    thereof and not the fans who typically don’t even consider such
    things. Just my two cents. YMMV.

  • HS

    Don`t you all see all this is a well made performance as well? this controversy and criticism Is EXACTLY what they want, she should be nominated to an academy award and Minegishi to the best script ever, I can see them laughing backstage “see how infuriated are all those gaijin”, very good marketing strategy. (japanese public won`t take it as a negative, they just gonna boost their audience and sales none the less)

  • MiichanFan

    Pffff Legal challenge!? From WHO!?

    Minegishi loves AKB so much she went to extreme lengths to show her remorse. Why would she sue?

  • http://www.facebook.com/ri.chang Ri Chang

    The product of an entertainment industry based in idols have always been a far-fetched fantasy between the idol and their fans as opposed to their music or dance or even looks.

    Ultimately, the music and entertainment industry deals in emotional currencies known as admiration and desire. We can cry afoul about the morality of it, but then we might as well dissect the morality of religions then. Humans need emotional support and comfort be it from an idol or a god. Something to look up to and feel like life is still wonderful.

    However the way that the Japanese entertainment industry goes about it horrifies me. In the past we looked up to the artists in the Japanese industry because their music or lyrics or personality gave us solace. The food chain of the ecosystem was such that whilst the artists relied on fans, they were ultimately on top. And this was obviously because the artists were talented at what they do, thus we could admire them.

    That’s still the reason why so many people support Beyonce and even musicians and actors long gone, like Amy Winehouse. But it’s not just the western entertainment industry that uses admiration towards its artists as a product. Taiwanese singers, or at least the frontliners, never have to apologize to their fans for having a personal life because their fans look UP to them, because they are the best at what they do and whilst disappointment in their loss in bachelor status will bog the fans down for a while, ultimately no one can replace Jay Chou in what he does. Heck, even Kpop idols, who are probably as much of a product as Japanese idols are given more respect and human rights. Sure many fans narrow-mindedly believe that their idol belongs to them and many are still forbidden to date but they aren’t treated as commodity as much as Japanese idols are.

    They lead their fans, they (or at least their companies) dictate what trend their fans will be following, they are admired as individuals for their traits as much as their looks. They are admired for the abilities to sing and mannerisms as human beings.

    Members of AKB48 and many Japanese idols aren’t ADMIRED, fans don’t look UP to them. Fanboys of ABK48 won’t want to become an idol, but fanboys of SNSD will try to audition and become a kpop star. The difference lies in the fact that AKB48 is made to be looked DOWN at, to be desired and they are replaceable. Members may have a name but they aren’t being marketed as individuals or PEOPLE. They’re just objects of desire for their fans, and as such are required to live up to those expectations. Fans may mourn the departure of one member but will quickly grow a new favourite, extremely rarely if ever will a fan of a member of AKB48 continue to support said idol after her departure. They’re buying into the AKB brand name not the person. Basically you can put any decent looking cute girl into the group and fans will support her given the right amount of marketing.

    And the whole reason why Japan is adopting this ethically challenged business model is because it’s FAST and it’s quick money. To be completely crude about it, as long as it’s a cute girl with a cute face and reasonable body, men can jack off to her and thus will buy into AKB48. It doesn’t matter if she can’t sing or dance or act to save her life. This means minimum training time required, any decent looking girl with an idol dream can be thrown into the group in less than a few months. It’s cheap and it’s low quality, which is weird coming from JAPAN of all countries. You’d expect this more from China than the country that routinely obsesses over quality over quantity.

    But sadly the entertainment industry doesn’t feel the same way. If you can make the same money, why spend years and millions of dollars training an idol group to become something people can admire in order to make money when you can spend a couple thousand bucks a few months and earn the same off minimally trained girls that are kept in stocks by selling the idea of sex and fantasy?

    It’s just a shame, and it shows that the industry has absolutely no pride in trying to create a product, an idol group to be proud of. In most countries, an idol is just that, an idol, someone to look up to that is a model for other people to follow. Which is why in Korea it’s a big deal for their idols to not drink, not smoke, follow the laws as law abiding citizens; because they are IDOLS, people, kids, look up to them and imitate their behavior. However in Japan, the same term is used to describe females who are objects of sexual fantasies with no actual skill or social value. That fault lies in the society and industry that created this structure. Ethics aside, this is the reason why Japanese music industry has been failing to rise above, if all you want is quick cash, then that’s as far as you can go.

  • gg

    In fact, I don’t know much about AKB, so I’m not interested in this article. But I was stunned at a lot of response to this problem.

    Living in Japan, actually I don’t think that AKB is the problem community but watching comments from abroad different aspect of views, I have no other choice but to rethink this problem.
    Of cource, I think Minegishi’s penance is too humiliated, even thogh it was voluntarily and it’s ridiculous to tolerate these inhumane incident.

    They sacrificed their own dignity or humanity for fame or money for living in Tokyo.
    And they want it, need it.

  • FormX

    “The deeper truth is that idol fan culture, as well as the closely related anime and manga fan culture”

    No matter how they are related, you are missing the key point: one deals with fiction and the other is reality.

    “institutionally incapable of dealing with independence in young women.
    It seeks out and fetishizes weaknesses and vulnerabilities and calls it moé,
    it demands submissiveness, endless tearful displays of gratitude, a
    lack of confidence, and complete control over their sexual independence.”

    That’s what sells in Japan. Surprise.

    Enough said, really.

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Tears for fears: The reaction to the shocking video by AKB48 team member Minami Minegishi has been swift and varied. | JAPAN TIMES GRAPHIC

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