Recent ALL48 News

June 18, 2013 - JKT48 Rena Nozawa to hold a concurrent position with AKB48

On the 18th of June 2013, JKT48 Operational Team officially announced that their 1st generation member, Rena Nozawa, is going to hold a concurrent position in AKB48 due to the unfortunate situation where her parents have return to Japan for reasons related to their work.

Announcement of Rena Nozawa’s double position [sic] in JKT48 dan AKB48

Due to the fact that JKT48 Team J Rena Nozawa has to return to Japan, on Tuesday 18th of June 2013, it was announced in JKT48 Theatre that she will be holding a concurrent position in both JKT48 and AKB48. This would be the first time in the history of 48Group that an overseas sister group member is able to hold a concurrent position in both her original team and AKB48. Under these circumstances, Rena will also continue her activities as a member of JKT48 Team J.

Rena Nozawa, whose parents hails from Japan, successfully passed the audition for JKT48′s 1st Generation in November 2011, and became one of the only Japanese member among all the Indonesian members. Together with Takajo Aki and Nakagawa Haruka, she became a member of JKT48 Team J

Because Rena thinks that it’s of the utmost importance that this news is announced personally, on Tuesday 18th of June she directly announced this news to the fans at the JKT48 Theater

Information regarding which team (in AKB48) she will be participating as a member in and her activities as a concurrent member of both groups will be announced shortly JKT48 Operation Team

June 15, 2013 - Graduation Ceremonies set for Shinoda Mariko, Akimoto Sayaka, & Itano Tomomi + Maeda Atsuko Dome Appearance

It has been revealed that AKB48′s former member Maeda Atsuko to make appearance at AKB48′s concert held at Sapporo Dome on July 31st.

This was announced during the hand shake event held at Makuhari Messe, Chiba on June 15th, it surprised the fans in the venue and received loud applause.

After Acchan graduated at AKB48 theater (Akihabara, Tokyo) on August 27, 2012, it is her first time to appear on concert of AKB48.

During the event, the trailer for “AKB48 2013 Manatsu no Dome Tour – Mada Mada, Yaranakya Ikenai Koto ga Aru -” was projected on the screen. After that, the word “Eien no Nakama Tachi (= forever friends)” was flashed on the screen. Then, it was also announced the graduation ceremony for Shinoda Mariko will be held at FUKUOKA YAFUOKU! DOME on July 21, and for Akimoto Sayaka will be held at Tokyo Dome on August 22, for Itano Tomomi will be held at Tokyo Dome on August 25.

Furthermore, there was an additional narration, “There is another eternal friend of us, we also want to perform with her on the same stage again.”

Then, “Maeda Atsuko will appear at Sapporo Dome on July 31″ was announced.

She participated in a video at live events after graduation, and also appeared at the venue of General Election, but to appear on AKB48′s concert is the first time.

It was also revealed that a new unit will be unveiled in the concert.

The trailer was concluded that “This summer, PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE will be all together in 5 Dome.” This summer will be hottest for fans.

June 7, 2013 - AKB48 will live stream 32nd Single Senbatsu Election

YouTube has just announced that they will be streaming live AKB48's 32nd Single Senbatsu Election! The livestream will be broadcast on AKB48's Official YouTube Channel, starting 17:15 JST on election day. FujiTV will also be streaming the election, however their broadcast will only start an hour after the election starts, at 18:30 JST (The election starts at 17:30 JST).

AKB48 32nd Single Senbatsu Election

Date: 8th June 2013

Concert Start: 15:00 JST

Elections Start: 17:30 JST

YouTube Livestream broadcast starts: 17:15 JST

Fuji TV Livestream broadcast starts: 18:30 JST

The biggest announcement for me personally is that on the election day, AKB48 has set up a service where you can send messages to your favorite members via the internet. Text and photo messages can be sent to them through a special group on Google+, and video messages no less than 5 and no more than 15 seconds uploaded onto YouTube. The application for your messages has already started, and will continue until the election day on 8th June, 2013. Here are the instructions from AKB48. More Information

March 28, 2013 - Maeda Atsuko declares she won’t be participating in AKB48’s upcoming General Election

On March 28, Maeda Atsuko revealed through her official Twitter that she will not be participating in ‘The 5th AKB48 General Election‘. As reported earlier, there was a change of rules in this year’s election with the establishment of the “candidacy system”. Under this, former members who were a part of the AKB48 family for more than 4 years are allowed candidacy.

On the same day, Maeda attended a press conference for ‘MTV VMAJ 2013‘ as the MC. She stayed silent when reporters asked questions regarding her participation in the election. Then at about 3:30 pm, she tweeted, “I won’t be appearing in the General Election,” and explained, “During that time in June, I will be overseas for filming.” She also gave a shout out to the members who will be present at the election saying, “But I will be supporting everybody from the bottom of my heart.”

So far, former AKB48 members Masuda Yuka, Yonezawa Rumi, and Nakaya Sayaka revealed that they won’t be participating in the election. While former SDN48 members Noro Kayo and Urano Kazumi announced their intentions to participate. The reception desk period for the candidacy will start on March 31.

March 26, 2013 - Details on AKB48’s “the 5th Senbatsu General Election” revealed!

It was announced that popular idol group AKB48 will be holding their annual “Senbatsu General Election” at Nissan Stadium on June 8! This year’s election will be held during the “AKB48 Super Festival” which was announced in January.

The “Super Festival” will be titled “AKB48 Super Festival ~Nissan Stadium, Chicchee! Chicchakunaishi!!~“, and it will consist of 2 parts. The first part will be a live concert which all AKB48 groups appear (will begin at 3:00 pm), and the second part will be the event for the results of the vote count (will begin at 5:30 pm).

This general election is to decide the participating members for their 32nd single (to be released in August) by the fans’ votes, and this will be the 5th year for the election to be held. The first election was held at Akasaka BLITZ, and the second to fourth elections were held at Nippon Budokan, thus this will be the first time for the election to be held at Nissan Stadium which is an open-air venue.

Not only the venue, but there will also be some differences in the previous years. Though all the members automatically participated in the election until last year, this year’s election will be “candidacy system.”

The members who have the right to stand as a candidate are…

(1) The members in AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, and HKT48 (as of March 31)

(2) Former AKB48 members who transferred to the sister groups in overseas (Takajo Aki, Nakagawa Haruka, Suzuki Mariya, Miyazawa Sae)

(3) OG members who have been the member of AKB groups more than 4 years

Same as the previous years, 64 members will be elected for the 32nd single. Details are as follows.

(1) #1~#16 = 32nd single Senbatsu members

(2) #17-#32 = Under Girls

(3) #33-#48 = Next Girls

(4) #49-#64 = Future Girls

The reception desk period for the candidacy will be from March 31 at 12:00 pm ~ April 7 at 12:00 am. The members who are willing to run as a candidate need to submit a written notice to the election executive committee which is set in each theater.

The fans who can vote for the election will include those who purchase AKB48’s 31st single (currently untitled) which will go on sale on May 22, fan club members, mobile members, and so on. The time to vote for the election will be during May 21 at 10:00 am ~ June 7 at 3:00 pm (JST).

February 1, 2013 - Itano Tomomi to graduate from AKB48 this year

On February 1st, it was announced that Itano Tomomi would be graduating from AKB48 this year. Itano’s graduation was announced in AKB48’s documentary film, ‘DOCUMENTARY OF AKB48: NO FLOWER WITHOUT RAIN Shoujo Tachi wa Namida no Ato ni Nani wo Miru?‘. During a stage greeting, Itano herself announced, ”I’m Itano Tomomi from Team K. I made a sudden announcement through this interview, but I, Itano Tomomi, will graduate from AKB48.” “The interview for this documentary was supposed to be about the members of AKB48, their scandals last year, AKB48 in the future, and the graduation of (Maeda) Atsuko, but my feelings towards graduation became stronger. I decided to announce it like this.” Itano shared that she had been discussing her graduation with producer Akimoto Yasushi stating, “When I confirmed to Akimoto-sensei that I had expressed my true feelings (during the filming of the movie), he told me ‘okay’. It could’ve been cut out during the editing, but I had them use it.” When she expressed, “Although my time with the fans and members are running out, I would like to enjoy it. Thank you,” there were fans who cried out, “Don’t quit!” Regarding the timing of the announcement, Itano revealed, “I actually wanted to wait until our spring concert to announce it, but I expressed my true feelings in the interview.” She also mentioned that she talked to Maeda Atsuko about it. “I’m good friends with Atsuko and I have been influenced by her, but I needed to decide on my own path myself. It’s not that I made this decision in a hurry, but I want both of us to do our best.” Finally, Itano stated, “We haven’t decided on the day yet, but I will announce it once it has been decided. I want to enjoy the time that I have left. I also want to enjoy it as a first generation member.” Itano is one of AKB48’s starting members along with Maeda Atsuko and Takahashi Minami. In January of 2011, she became the first member from the group to make her solo debut.

January 26, 2013 - AKB48 and sister groups to hold live concerts at Nippon Budokan in April

It was announced that the AKB48 groups will hold a 4-day live concert (total 6 stages) at Nippon Budokan in April. The announcement was made during the 3rd day of “AKB48 Request Hour Set List Best 100 2013” held at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL. The live concert is titled as “AKB48 Fair.” Though AKB48 has been holding their annual events like “General Election” or “Janken Tournament” at the Nippon Budokan, this would be the first time in 4 years for them to hold a sole live concert at the venue since their last one in August of 2009. Moreover, it will be the very first time for their sister groups SKE48, NMB48, and HKT48 to hold a live concert there by themselves. Below is the schedule for the “AKB48 Fair.” April 25th 2013 (Thu) : SKE48, April 26th 2013 (Fri) : NMB48, April 27th 2013 (Sat) : HKT48 (day time), April 27th 2013 (Sat) : AKB48 (night time), April 28th 2013 (Sun) : AKB48 groups (2 stages for day and night)

January 26, 2013 - Staff Reshuffle and Promotion

On January 25, 2013, at AKB48's Request Hour Setlist 2013, at the end of the ranking, it was announced that the staff will be reshuffled into different theaters. Yuasa Hiroshi (former SKE Theater manager) is appointed as new AKB Theater manager, Shiba Tomoya, Former Team K chief manager is appointed as new SKE Theater manager, Kaneko Tsuyoshi, NMB Theater manager to retain current position, Ozaki Mitsuru, New HKT Theater Manager appointed, and Togasaki Tomonobu is promoted as the General Theater Manager for all 48 Groups

December 30, 2012 - AKB48 takes “Japan Record Award” for second consecutive year

On December 30th, the annual music awards show, ”The 54th Kagayaku! Japan Record Awards” was held, and announced that AKB48’s “Manatsu no Sounds good!” (written by Akimoto Yasushi, composed and arranged by Inoue Yoshimasa) has received the grand prize “Japan Record Award.” This is the second consecutive year for AKB48 to receive the award since they won the award with “Flying Get” last year. Winning the “Japan Record Award” successively has been achieved by Hosokawa Takashi (1982 ~ 1983), Nakamori Akina (1985 ~ 1986), Amuro Namie (1996 ~ 1997), Hamasaki Ayumi (2001 ~ 2003), and EXILE (2008 ~ 2010), thus AKB48 is the first female group to accomplish it. The general manager of AKB48 groups, Takahashi Minami shed tears, and said, “I am truly happy. Last year, we were desperate to grab the award, but his year, we felt like we must win it as the second chapter for AKB48 has begun. I am proud that we were able to get this award when there are so many great artists here.” Watanabe Mayu also commented, “As Maeda-san graduated, we, the ones who are left, need to make AKB….”, she then had to stop right there, as she could not hold herself, but cry. She continued tearfully, “I am very happy. While being proud of this, I would like to continue trying our best. Though we felt some pressure, receiving the award will make us gain confidence, and I hope it will bring another good accomplishment.”

June 5, 2012 - AKB48’s General Election to be broadcast live on Google+

AKB48’s “4th General Election” will take place on June 6th at 5:30pm(JST). There will also be a site to mix SNS, Google+ for the live broadcast titled “AKB General Election + 1 Site”; so fans can watch the election unfold online. Fuji TV will also be holding a live broadcast special from 7:00~9:09pm on TV. However, the full election can be seen online at http://www.akb48plus.com/ where fans can see the girls take positions #64 to #1 in real-time. Since there are AKB fans around the world, the election will also be broadcast in both Japanese and English. Fans will be able to give a “+1” on Google+ when they feel deeply moved or empathy and then those results will be shown in a real-time graph to see. You can see exactly when fans are touched by something that happens during the election through this system, it’s a fresh general election that will be fun for everyone. The winner will give her speech at 11:00pm on Google+ and AKB48’s Official YouTube Channel. If the #1 member happens to be under 18 years old, then she will give a speech from her home via the telephone.

May 24, 2012 - AKB48 reveals dates for Tokyo Dome concert + Maeda Atsuko’s graduation

The dates for AKB48’s Tokyo Dome concert and Maeda Atsuko’s graduation have finally been revealed! AKB48 will hold their first Tokyo Dome concert on August 24th, 25th, and 26th. This was announced by Takahashi Minami through AKB48’s official YouTube channel. In the video, Takahashi holds an interview with Yomiuri Shimbun chairman and executive director Watanabe Tsuneo. While they talk about “dreams”, chairman Watanabe reveals that the group will be holding a 3-day live at Tokyo Dome. In response, Takahashi shows a surprised expression saying, “I’m sorry, I just found out now!” As previously reported, Maeda Atsuko will be graduating after the group’s concerts at Tokyo Dome, August 27th. Takahashi commented, “People may be thinking that this is the turning point for AKB48, or that this is our last stop. But once we reach the goal line, Tokyo Dome, we want to change that into the start line, and have people watch us grow from there.” Ticket details will be revealed at a later date.

May 24, 2012 - AKB48’s “Manatsu no Sounds good!” sets new first day record and sells over 1 million copies on its first day

AKB48’s 26th single, “Manatsu no Sounds good!“, has sold 1,171,000 copies on its first day, topping Oricon’s Daily Single Ranking chart for May 22nd. “Manatsu no Sounds good!” is the group’s 3rd single to hit over million sales on the first day. With this, the girls have set a new record for first day sales. The single is followed by “Kaze wa Fuiteiru” (October 2011) with 1,046,000 units and “Flying Get” with 1,026,000 copies. The regular edition of the single comes with a serial number to vote in ‘The 4th AKB48 General Elections“, which started on May 22nd at 10:00 am. Previous singles enclosing serial numbers were “Namida Surprise!” (June 2009 / 40,000 copies), “Ponytail to Shushu” (May 2010 / 354,000 copies), and “Everyday, Kachuusha” (May 2011 / 942,000 copies). According to King Records, “Manatsu no Sounds good!” has shipped over 2 million copies on the first day. The previous record was held by “Kaze wa Fuiteiru” with 1.6 million copies.

May 24, 2012 - AKB48 4th General Election preliminary results

On May 23rd, AKB48 revealed their reports of the first day of votes for the 4th General Election at AKB48 theaters in Akihabara. This is the annual election for the girls, and fan votes will decide the 16 members for the 27th single planned for release in August. According to reports, Oshima Yuko gained 15,093 votes. As much of the media and many fans expected, she got a lead of 2,439 votes on second place. Kashiwagi Yuki, who was at third place during the last election, gained 12,654 votes to reach second place. This year’s election is the biggest event so far with a total of 237 girls who participated. (AKB48 = 88, SKE48 =64, NMB48 =64, HKT48=21). The top girl will have the center position for the upcoming 27th single, and the top 15 other members will be the members for the single. Girls ranked #17-#32 will be in ‘Under Girls’, girls ranked #33-#48 will be in ‘Next Girls’, and girls ranked #49-#64 will be in ‘Future Girls’. These sub-groups will sing the coupling songs for 27th single. Check out the first day results here!

May 24, 2012 - AKB48 ships over 2 million copies of “Manatsu no Sounds good!”

On May 23rd, it was revealed that AKB48’s latest single, “Manatsu no Sounds good!”, released on the same day, shipped over two million copies! “Kaze ga Fuiteiru” is the last single that had the most copies on the date of release with 1.6 million copies shipped. However, AKB48’s latest single broke that record. In addition, “Manatsu no Sounds good!” included voting tickets for ‘the 4th Senbatsu Election‘ that will be held at Nippon Budoukan on June 6. It has also been announced that prompt reports of the first day of votes will be announced at AKB48’s theaters in Akihabara on the night of May 23.

March 28, 2012 - AKB48’s Itano Tomomi & EXILE’s Takahiro rumored to be in a relationship

The latest issue of weekly tabloid ‘Shukan Bunshun‘, which will officially hit news stands on March 29th, is going to reveal an alleged relationship between AKB48’s Itano Tomomi and EXILE’s Takahiro. The first photographs of the article already made it onto the web, and quickly became a hot topic on various bulletin boards and Twitter. Shukan Bunshun has not only received testimonies from people around them who claim that they are serious, and also obtaining pictures that indicate that Itano and Takahiro are living in the same multi-storied apartment complex. Apparently, Itano is living on one of the lower floors while Takahiro has rented an apartment on an upper floor. They often have been spotted coming home at around the same time, hinting at possible dates after work. One or more of such dates have already happened at a yakiniku restaurant, which is said to be one of Takahiro’s most favorite restaurants, in close proximity to the apartment complex. The tabloid has witness reports of the couple going there together at the end of last year. Another crucial piece of evidence that makes the alleged relationship all the more possible is that the two of them have been spotted wearing couple rings in early February 2012. Itano’s agency didn’t deny that they had a meal together, but they clarified that the outing took place together with their managers. EXILE’s side outright denied that Takahiro ever had a meal with Itano at all. Reactions towards this article have been mixed so far. Many people don’t really believe it or don’t want to believe it, while others already bring up the topic of another graduation coming soon.

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