AKB48 is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. Unlike other idol groups in Japan, AKB48 is theater-based and have their own theater in Akihabara (a district in Tokyo) ...

AKB48 is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. Unlike other idol groups in Japan, AKB48 is theater-based and have their own theater in Akihabara (a district in Tokyo) where they perform once every weekday, and more than once on both Saturday and Sunday. The theater is set up on the 8th floor of Don Quijote. Some of the title songs released as a single have been made a tie-in song for a television show or a television advertisement. The name derives from a shortened, Romanized representation of 'Akihabara'.

AKB48 is divided into three teams: Team A, Team K and Team B. Currently, there are 16 members in Team A, 16 members in Team K, and 16 members in Team B, getting to the total of 48 members in AKB48. Minami Takahashi is the captain of Team A, Sayaka Akimoto is the captain of Team K, and Yuki Kashiwagi is the captain of Team B.

In July 2005, Yasushi Akimoto held an audition for a new theater based idol girl group. Of the 7,924 girls that applied, 45 passed the first round of auditions. Finally, only 24 girls were chosen to be in the group.

In December 2005, the group debuted in the theater with only 20 girls, later known as Team A. A new audition was announced, this audition was held in cooperation with Japanese telecom company NTT DoCoMo. It was the first audition ever where the applicants had to send in their audition video with their mobile phones. 19 of the 11,892 applicants were chosen to join AKB48, but in the end only 18 girls joined the group to become Team K in April 2006.

AKB48 released their 15th single "Sakura no Shiori" on February 17, 2010. The single topped the Oricon chart and sold over 300,000 copies in its first week, which is the best record in seven years of Japanese female artists.[5] On April 27, 2010, it was announced that AKB48 would be attending and performing in the United States at Anime Expo, the nation's largest anime convention, as official guests of honor. AKB48 had their concert on July 1st, 2010, at the Nokia Theatre. Their 16th single "Ponytail to Shushu" released on May 26, 2010, has sold over 400,000 copies in its first day, and over 513,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest first week for a female idol group and a female artist. It also became the biggest selling AKB48 single in its first week.

Current Members

Team A

* Misaki Iwasa (岩佐美咲?) (January 30, 1995 in Chiba)
* Aika Ōta (多田愛佳?) (December 8, 1994 in Saitama)
* Shizuka Ōya (大家志津香?) (December 28, 1991 in Fukuoka)
* Haruka Katayama (片山陽加?) (May 10, 1990 in Aichi)
* Asuka Kuramochi (倉持明日香?) (Sept. 11, 1989 in Kanagawa)
* Haruna Kojima (小嶋陽菜?) (April 19, 1988 in Saitama)
* Rino Sashihara (指原莉乃?) (November 21, 1992 in Ōita)
* Mariko Shinoda (篠田麻里子?) (March 11, 1986 in Fukuoka)
* Aki Takajo (高城亜樹?) (October 3, 1991 in Tōkyō)
* Minami Takahashi (高橋みなみ?) (April 8, 1991 in Tōkyō)
* Haruka Nakagawa (仲川遥香?) (February 10, 1992 in Tōkyō)
* Chisato Nakata (中田ちさと?) (October 8, 1990 in Saitama)
* Sayaka Nakaya (仲谷明香?) (October 15, 1991 in Iwate)
* Atsuko Maeda (前田敦子?) (July 10, 1991 in Chiba)
* Ami Maeda (前田亜美?) (June 1, 1995 in Tōkyō)
* Natsumi Matsubara (松原夏海?) (June 19, 1990 in Fukuoka)

Team K

* Sayaka Akimoto (秋元才加?) (July 26, 1988 in Chiba)
* Tomomi Itano (板野友美?) (July 3, 1991 in Kanagawa)
* Mayumi Uchida (内田眞由美?) (December 27, 1993 in Tōkyō)
* Ayaka Umeda (梅田彩佳?) (January 3, 1989 in Fukuoka)
* Yūko Ōshima (大島優子?) (October 17, 1988 in Tochigi)
* Erena Ono (小野恵令奈?) (November 26, 1993 in Tōkyō)
* Ayaka Kikuchi (菊地あやか?) (June 30, 1993 in Tōkyō)
* Miku Tanabe (田名部生来?) (December 2, 1992 in Shiga)
* Tomomi Nakatsuka (中塚智実?) (June 18, 1993 in Saitama)
* Moeno Nitō (仁藤萌乃?) (July 22, 1992 in Tōkyō)
* Misato Nonaka (野中美郷?) (April 20, 1991 in Fukuoka)
* Reina Fujie (藤江れいな?) (February 1, 1994 in Chiba)
* Sakiko Matsui (松井咲子?) (December 10, 1990 in Saitama)
* Minami Minegishi (峯岸みなみ?) (November 15, 1992 in Tōkyō)
* Sae Miyazawa (宮澤佐江?) (August 13, 1990 in Tōkyō)
* Rumi Yonezawa (米沢瑠美?) (June 6, 1991 in Saitama)

Team B

* Haruka Ishida (石田晴香?) (December 2, 1993 in Saitama)
* Manami Oku (奥真奈美?) (November 22, 1995 in Tōkyō)
* Tomomi Kasai (河西智美?) (November 16, 1991 in Tōkyō)
* Yuki Kashiwagi (柏木由紀?) (July 15, 1991 in Kagoshima)
* Rie Kitahara (北原里英?) (June 24, 1991 in Aichi)
* Kana Kobayashi (小林香菜?) (May 17, 1991 in Saitama)
* Mika Komori (小森美果?) (July 19, 1994 in Aichi)
* Amina Satō (佐藤亜美菜?) (October 16, 1990 in Tōkyō)
* Sumire Satō (佐藤すみれ?) (November 20, 1993 in Saitama)
* Natsuki Sato (佐藤夏希?) (July 1, 1990 in Hokkaidō)
* Mariya Suzuki (鈴木まりや?) (April 29, 1991 in Saitama)
* Rina Chikano (近野莉菜?) (April 23, 1993 in Tōkyō)
* Natsumi Hirajima (平嶋夏海?) (May 28, 1992 in Tōkyō)
* Yuka Masuda (増田有華?) (August 3, 1991 in Osaka)
* Miho Miyazaki (宮崎美穂?) (July 30, 1993 in Tōkyō)
* Mayu Watanabe (渡辺麻友?) (March 26, 1994 in Saitama)

Team Research Students

* Maria Abe (阿部マリア?) (November 29, 1995 in Kanagawa)
* Rina Izudta (伊豆田莉奈?) (Novemer 26, 1995 in Saitama)
* Miori Ichikawa (市川美織?) (February 12, 1994 in Saitama)
* Anna Iriyama (入山杏奈?) (December 3, 1995 in Chiba)
* Hitomi Iwasaki (岩崎仁美?) (March 19, 1996 in Saitama)
* Mina Ōba (大場美奈?) (April 3, 1992 in Kanagawa)
* Rena Katō (加藤玲奈?) (July 10, 1997 in Chiba)
* Yūki Kanazawa (金沢有希?) (May 1, 1993 in Hokkaidō)
* Marina Kobayashi (小林茉里奈?) (February 24, 1996 in Tokyō)
* Yuriko Sano (佐野友里子?) (January 22, 1992 in Tōkyō)
* Haruka Shimazaki (島崎遥香?) (March 30, 1994 in Saitama)
* Haruka Shimada (島田晴香?) (December 16, 1992 in Shizuoka)
* Miyu Takeuchi (竹内美宥?) (January 12, 1996 in Tokyō)
* Mariya Nagao (永尾まりや?) (March 10, 1994 in Kanagawa)
* Shiori Nakamata (仲俣汐里?) (July 25, 1992 in Tokyō)
* Mariko Nakamura (中村麻里子?) (December 16, 1993 in Chiba)
* Nana Fujita (藤田奈那?) (December 28, 1996 in Tokyō)
* Anna Mori (森杏奈?) (March 21, 1994 in Chiba)
* Suzuran Yamauchi (山内鈴蘭?) (December 8,1994 in Chiba)
* Yui Yokoyama (横山由依?) (December 8 1992 in Kyōto)



Last edit by azalago on Sunday 29 Aug, 2010 at 02:48 +2.7% Reason: Update

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