| AKB48 Group | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | East Asia Japan (6, former: 1) China (1, former: 1) Taiwan (1) South Korea (former: 1) South Asia India (former: 2) Southeast Asia Indonesia (1) Thailand (2) Philippines (1) Vietnam (former: 1) Malaysia (1) |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Current Members: | Current groups |
| Past Members: | Former groups |
, or AKB48 sister groups, shortened to 48 Group or 48g, refers to the sister groups of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. Based on the same concept "idols you can meet", it currently consists of five sister groups in locations across Japan and seven (DEL, SGO, MUB excluded) sister groups in major Asian cities overseas from Indonesia to Thailand. The Japan-based sister groups not only release their own singles, but also perform on some of the AKB48 singles and events. They also send participants in the AKB48 annual events such as the AKB48 general election. The sister groups outside Japan release local-language versions of the AKB48 singles.[1] [2] In their early development, they are often supported by temporary, concurrent members of AKB48, such as Jurina Matsui and Miyuki Watanabe.
AKB48's first sister group, SKE48, was formed in 2008 with its theater in Sakae, Nagoya.[3] [4] SDN48 ("Saturday Night"), NMB48[5] ("Namba") and HKT48[6] ("Hakata") were later formed. NGT48 was launched in 2015, and is located in Niigata.[7] STU48, the latest Japanese sister group, was announced during the AKB48 rock-paper-scissors tournament on October 10, 2016. It is based on the seven prefectures adjoining the coast of the Seto Inland Sea and they performed on a ship for a while.[8] Following the assault on NGT48 member Maho Yamaguchi, the management of AKB48 faced severe public criticism.[9] In response, it was announced to significantly change AKB48 management structures, with individual companies independently running each of the Japanese groups.[10]
In 2011 AKB48's first sister group outside Japan, JKT48, was announced; the group is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.[11] JKT48 was followed by SNH48 based in Shanghai, China.[12] On June 6, 2016, AKB48 announced it had suspended its partnership with SNH48 due to the latter's contract violations.[13] Following the statement, SNH48 declared that it had been completely independent from AKB48 from the beginning and SNH48 management had never made any form of partnership with AKS.[14]
On October 12, 2016, AKS announced the "AKB48 China" project; two members were selected and participated in Produce 101 China. The first group of the project, AKB48 Team SH, was launched in early 2018 and audition began in April 2018.[15]
The creation of the TPE48 was announced on October 10, 2011, in AKB48's official blog.[16] At that time, AKS cooperated with Yoshimoto Kogyo Taipei Branch and expected to start audition in 2012. However, the two sides failed to reach a consensus in the preparation work, and thus they were discontinued after the second half of 2012. Three new overseas sister groups were announced in March 2016: BNK48, based in Bangkok, Thailand; MNL48, based in Manila, the Philippines and TPE48, based in Taipei, Taiwan.[17] On July 30, 2018, AKS canceled a joint venture and license agreement with TPE48's management and created AKB48 Team TP.[18] The formation of CGM48, named after and based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as a domestic sister group of BNK48 was announced in Chiang Mai on 2 June 2019.[19]
On December 27, 2017, Yui Yokoyama, the general manager of AKB48, announced the formation of MUM48, based in Mumbai, India, through a Showroom live broadcast. AKS cooperated with Rashmi Raj Media Pvt. ltd, and audition began in early 2018.[20] However, the group's official site was closed in July 2018.[21] On June 19, 2019, DEL48 and MUB48, based on India's New Delhi and Mumbai respectively, were announced.[22] The group went on an indefinite suspension in November 2020 and later disbanded in July 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] [24]
On June 21, 2018, AKS announced the formation of SGO48, based in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.[25] On December 5, 2021, it was announced SGO48 will disband after their 3rd anniversary on December 22, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[26]
On January 1 2024, the formation of KLP48, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was announced in AKB48's official social media accounts and KLP48's official page. They are set to debut in August 2024.[27]
AKB48 Group also has their "official" rival group, the Sakamichi Series, also produced by Akimoto Yasushi. The Sakamichi Series consists of groups Nogizaka46, Sakurazaka46, Hinatazaka46, and Yoshimotozaka46.[28]
SNH48 Group is also known to be a big rival against AKB48 Group: After creating their own sister groups BEJ48, GNZ48, SHY48, CKG48, CGT48, IDOLS Ft and JNR48, the group got more recognition in China. Their single "Forest Theorem" was bought 200,000 times in just a few minutes.
See main article: Produce 48 and Iz*One.
On June 15, 2018, AKB48 groups participated in the Korean reality competition show Produce 48, which acted as the third season for the Mnet series Produce 101. The show brought in 96 girls from South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan to compete for a spot in a 12-member girl group that would promote in both Korea and Japan for two and a half years.[29] Of those 96 contestants, 57 were from Korean talent agencies while 39 were from the AKB48 group.[30] [31] On August 31, 2018, the show's final episode aired and the final contestants were chosen to debut in a new group named Iz*One. Among the 12 members chosen to debut were AKB48's Hitomi Honda, HKT48's Nako Yabuki and Sakura Miyawaki.[32]
Iz*One was an immediate success, with their debut showcase at the Olympic Hall selling out within minutes.[33] [34] On October 29, 2018, the group's first extended play COLOR*IZ was released, and sold over 34,000 units (as reported by Hanteo Chart), setting a new record for the highest number of albums sold on the first day of a Korean-based girl group's debut release.[35] [36] [37] The music video for the lead single "La Vie en Rose" achieved more than 4.5 million views within 24 hours of its release on YouTube, making it the most-watched debut music video by a Korean act in 24 hours.[38] [39] Since their debut, the group has earned multiple awards, including Best New Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.[40]
On November 11, the group was scheduled to release their first studio album.[41] However, the release was postponed due to the Mnet vote manipulation investigation,[42] [43] which revealed that the Produce 48 producer Ahn Joon-young had selected the twelve members of Iz*One from the top 20 just before the airing of the finale.[44] As a result, Iz*One's showcases, promotions, and several guest appearances were cancelled or put on hold,[45] [46] [47] [48] [49] which included the release of their concert film, Eyes on Me: The Movie[50] and their Japanese promotions.[51] [52] On January 6, 2020, the members' agencies and CJ ENM reached an agreement to resume the group's activities.[53] [54] On April, 2021, they officially disbanded and all 12 members returned back to their respective agencies.[55]
| 2005–present | Regular, Kenkyuusei/Trainee | Akihabara, Tokyo | DH, Co., Ltd.[56] | The main group | ||||
| 2008–present | Team S, Team KII, Team E, Kenkyuusei | Sakae, Nagoya, Aichi | [57] [58] |
| First sister group | |||
| 2010–present | Team N, Team M, Team BII Kenkyuusei | Namba, Osaka | Showtitle | Kyoraku Yoshimoto[60] | The only Japanese sister group to hold their own Senbatsu General Election | |||
| 2011–present | Team H, Team KIV, Team TII, Kenkyuusei | Hakata, Fukuoka | Mercury, Co., Ltd. | Sproot, Co., Ltd.[61] Shareholders: | ||||
| 2015–present | 1st Generation, 2nd Generation, 3rd Draft, Kenkyuusei | Niigata, Niigata | Flora, Co., Ltd. | Team Nlll and G were disbanded | ||||
| 2017–present | 1st Generation, 3rd Draft, Kenkyuusei | Setouchi Region | Setouchi Brand Corporation[62] | Currently has no permanent theater |
| 2011–present | Regular, Trainee | IDN / JKT48 Operation Team (PT Indonesia Musik Nusantara) | Jakarta, Indonesia | First overseas sister group | |||
| 2017–present | Team BIII, Team NV, Trainee | Independent Artist Management (iAM) | Bangkok, Thailand | Also has a sister group, CGM48 | |||
| 2018–present | 1st Generation, 2nd Generation, 3rd Generation, 4th Generation | Hallo Hallo Entertainment Inc (HHE) | Manila, Philippines | The only sister group that debuted with exactly 48 members The only group to fire their members if they didn't rank in Senbatsu General Election | |||
| 2018–present | Team SH, Trainee | Shanghai Sengyu Culture Development (AKB48 China) | Shanghai, China | Replaced SNH48 in China | |||
| 2018–present | Unit Tic Tac Toe, Unit Peek A Boo, Trainee | Good Luck | Taipei, Taiwan | Formerly TPE48 | |||
| 2019–present | Team C, Trainee | Independent Artist Management (iAM) | Chiang Mai, Thailand | First domestic sister group of BNK48 | |||
| 2024–present | Regular | 48 Entertainment Sdn. Bhd. | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Set to debut in mid-August 2024 |
| 2009–2012 | 1st Generation, 2nd Generation (later 2nd+3rd Generation) | Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan | Shows for fans age 18 and up.[63] Disbanded in 2012 |
| 2013–2016 | Team SII, Team NII, Team HII, Team X, Trainee | Shanghai, China | Declared independence from AKB48 in 2016, still active | |||
| 2018–2021 | Trainee | FanDebut on December 22, 2018. Disbanded due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. | ||||
| 2018–2021 | - | Seoul, South Korea | Formed from Produce 48 | |||
| Orange - White | 2019–2020 | Trainee | Delhi, India | 1st generation members selected. Indefinitely closing following cessation of operations during by COVID-19 pandemic in India. | ||
| Green - White | - | - | Mumbai, India | Formerly MUM48.[64] Indefinitely closing following cessation of operations during by COVID-19 pandemic in India.[65] |
AKB48 Group timeline
| Group | Team | Founding day | Team Leader | Team Co-Leader | Captain | Vice-Captain | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team A | The team system will be canceled from 17 October 2023 onwards and changed to a generation system and trainee system. | Kuranoo Narumi | ! rowspan = "34" | STU48 has a theater on a cruise ship. And is the first group of 48 groups and the only group that has a vice-captain. Before 2021, JKT48 uses a team system with a total of 3 teams: Team J, Team K3, and Team T. | ||||
| Team K | ||||||||
| Team B | ||||||||
| Team 4 | ||||||||
| Team 8 | ||||||||
| Team S | October 5, 2008 | Nomura Miyo | Sakamoto Marin | Kumazaki Haruka | ||||
| Team K2 | May 5, 2009 | Ota Ayaka | Okamoto Ayaka | |||||
| Team E | December 6, 2010 | Suenaga Oka | Sato Kaho | |||||
| Team N | March 10, 2011 | Kojima Karin | Kawakami Chihiro | Kojima Karin | ||||
| January 1, 2022 (Newly established) | ||||||||
| Team M | January 26, 2012 | Jonishi Rei | Hara Karen | |||||
| January 1, 2022 (Newly established) | ||||||||
| Team B2 | October 10, 2012 | Deguchi Yuina | Mizuta Shiori | |||||
| January 1, 2022 (Newly established) | ||||||||
| Team H | March 4, 2012 | Toyonaga Aki | Aramaki Misaki | Kurihara Sae | ||||
| Team K4 | April 27, 2014 | Jitoe Nene | Sakamoto Erena | |||||
| Team T2 | Cancel the T2 team system from 1 February 2023 onwards. | |||||||
| Team N3 | The team system was canceled from 21 April 2019 onwards and changed to a generation and trainee system. | Nara Miharu | ||||||
| Team G | ||||||||
| Team STU | March 31, 2017 | This group uses a single team system. | Fukuda Akari | Takao Sayaka | ||||
| JKT48 Regular Members | March 16, 2021 | Shania Gracia | ||||||
| Team B3 | December 24, 2017 | Patalee Prasertteerachai | Wachiraphon Phatthanaphanit | Patalee Prasertteerachai | ||||
| Team N5 | November 16, 2019 | Pinyada Jungkanjana | Yanisa Muangkam | |||||
| Team M2 | The team system will be canceled from February 14, 2023 onwards and changed to a generation and trainee system. | Jemimah Caldejon | ||||||
| Team N4 | ||||||||
| Team L | ||||||||
| TIC TAC TOE | July 1, 2022 | Lau Hiu-ching | Pan Tzu-yi | |||||
| Peek A Boo | July 1, 2022 | Tsai Ya-en | ||||||
| Team SH | July 24, 2018 | This group uses a single team system same is true for JKT48 and STU48. | Zhou NianQi | |||||
| Team C | February 9, 2020 | Pundita Koontawee | Manita Chanchai | |||||
| KLP48 Regular Members | August 18, 2024 | The group uses a single team system, similar to JKT48, STU48 and AKB48 Team SH. | Foo Yi Shyan | |||||