Ex-pop idol Mayu Tomita files ¥76 million lawsuit against Tokyo Metropolitan Government and attacker
Mayu Tomita, a former pop idol who was seriously injured during an attack by an obsessed fan before giving a live music performance about three years ago, filed a damages lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as ...
A look at some of Japan's lesser-known idol-pop players
I made my first trip to Japan just over 10 years ago to see concerts by Morning Musume and AKB48, two of the country's biggest idol-pop groups this century. What struck me most about the experience was the camaraderie among the fans, it was ...
From cosplay fan to idol, Yuriko Tiger's journey has been a colorful one
It was 1964 when 19-year-old ye-ye singer Sylvie Vartan captured the hearts of Japanese cinemagoers in the French film "Cherchez l'idole," released here as "Aidoru o Sagase" and in English as "The Chase." Her track from that film, "La plus belle pour aller danser," ...
Family seeks damages over suicide of 16-year-old member of agriculture promotion idol group
In the lawsuit filed with the Matsuyama District Court, the family claims harassment and overwork led to the suicide.
Released from reformatory, Japanese 'idol' launches support group for neglected children
Parental neglect, bullying and juvenile delinquency — these are the things the 20-year-old idol who goes by the name Kanano Senritsu says she has gone through. But she seems to be transforming the pain of her past into strength, having launched a group to ...
Dempagumi.inc's Risa Aizawa on the true power of fashion
Fashion designers can be stiff creatures, especially when it comes to divulging their history or feelings in an interview. However, Risa Aizawa is not your run-of-the-mill fashion designer. She is a member of the five-person Akihabara-born idol group Dempagumi.inc, known more for it's hard-core ...
17-year prison term sought for man who attacked pop idol in Koganei
Prosecutors on Thursday demanded 17 years in prison for the man who attacked a pop idol he was obsessed with in Koganei, western Tokyo, after she spurned his gifts and social media messages. "It was an extremely self-centered act," the prosecutors said at the Tachikawa ...
All-girl idol group AKB48 to launch sister group in Inland Sea region
Japan's all-girl idol group AKB 48 is launching yet another sister group, this time to be based in the Seto Inland Sea area. STU48 stands for Setouchi, the Japanese name of the coastal areas surrounding the waterway in western Japan. It will have its theater ...
Producer Yasushi Akimoto joins Sony Music in apologizing for girl band's Nazi-like outfits
The man behind AKB48 expresses regret after a different act performed in outfits resembling Nazi-era military uniforms.
Girl group's Nazi-like costume draws online backlash
The idol group Keyakizaka46, a branch of Japan's top-selling girl band AKB48, has sparked outrage on social media over their Halloween costume, which resembled the uniform worn by Nazi SS officers before and during World War II. During a show Oct. 22 at Yokohama Arena ...
Police failed to record previous stalking case linked to idol-stabbing suspect
Police failed to record an earlier stalking incident of another woman by the 27-year-old man arrested last week for attacking an idol singer with a knife in Tokyo. Tomohiro Iwazaki was arrested Saturday for viciously stabbing Mayu Tomita, 20, during an event in Koganei, Tokyo, ...
Anti-stalking law under fire after stabbing of Japanese idol singer
The attack on idol singer Mayu Tomita has sparked a discussion over the effectiveness of the anti-stalking law, which some experts say should include a clear statement on preventing online stalking.
