AKB48

AKB48 (pronounced A.K.B. Forty-Eight) are a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (Akiba for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. The group included 134 members as of December 2018, aged from their early teens to their mid-20s. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with its own theater (unlike pop groups performing occasional concerts and seen on television) and performing daily so fans could always see them live. This "idols you can meet" concept includes teams which can rotate performances and perform simultaneously at several events and "handshake" events, where fans can meet group members. Akimoto has expanded the AKB48 concept to several sister groups in China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, with an upcoming group announced for India. The group is one of the highest-earning musical performers in Japan. In 2012, their sales reached $226 million. AKB48 has been characterized as a social phenomenon. As of June 2018, the group has sold over 56 million records, including over 6 million albums. AKB48 is the highest selling musical act in Japan in terms of singles sold. AKB48's thirty-five latest singles have topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, with thirty singles selling over a million copies each. Their highest selling single, "Teacher Teacher", sold over 3 million in 2018 according to Billboard / Soundscan. In 2010, "Beginner" and "Heavy Rotation" placed first and second, respectively, on the list of Japan's best-selling singles for the year. From 2011 to 2017, AKB48's singles have occupied the top four or five spots of the Oricon Yearly Singles Chart.