News On Japan
Society

AKB48, Japan's biggest idol singer group, apologizes for selling 'Date Tickets'

Sep 28, 2019 | News On Japan

Sep 28, 2019 (soranews24.com) - Tickets promised to let fans "Experience what it’s like to be an AKB48 member’s lover."

It’s pretty common knowledge that Japanese idol singer talent agencies widely prohibits the onstage talent from having any sort of love life. The idol industry largely runs on the copious cash flows generated by the singers’ earnest, girl-next-door auras, and the common logic is that it gets hard to convince guys to buy multiple copies of the same CD in the interest of contributing to their favorite idol’s hopes and dreams if she might actually be getting more personal emotional support from some dude she’s dating.

So it raised plenty of eyebrows when AKB48, the most popular idol unit in Japan, said it was about to start selling “Date Tickets.”

The tickets were offered as a package for AKB48’s upcoming performances at the Hakataza theater in Fukuoka City, which will take place on November 11, 12, 14, and 22. According to Japanese news organization J-Cast News, on September 24 AKB48’s official website began promoting a number of special ticket packages for the concerts, with one description starting:

“Date Ticket. Experience what it’s like to be an AKB48 member’s lover!?”

However, the specifies of the service weren’t quite as lascivious as the ticket name and initial explanation sounded. The description went on to say:

“A special ticket that lets you meet up with a different member of AKB48 on each day of the concert series at the theater, then watch with her as the other members perform on stage! After the concert, you can go with her to visit the members who performed.”

As a group with dozens of members, not every AKB48 idol performs in every single concert, and the “date” wasn’t to be held in a romantic or secluded setting, but rather at the theater itself. The “lover” aspects of the service were limited to meeting up with the idol at the concert venue and watching the show in her company, and even then, it’s not like the Date Ticket purchaser and the idol would be all alone, as for each day there were 100 available Date Tickets, but only three AKB48 members (plus, ostensibly, a contingent of security personnel).

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         
MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.

Woman Who Kept 270 Dogs Pleads Not Guilty to Animal Abuse

A former dog breeder accused of failing to provide veterinary treatment to injured dogs at a facility in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, pleaded not guilty as her trial opened on October 7, saying she had raised the animals with affection.

Twin Brothers Busted Stealing Copper from Shrine Roof

Twin brothers have been arrested on suspicion of stealing copper roofing from a remote shrine in Kochi Prefecture, as police investigate a series of similar thefts reported at about 10 shrines across the prefecture since around September 2025.

Year of the Sheep Postcards Arrive in Hokkaido

New Year postcards for 2027 arrived at post offices across Hokkaido on October 6, with designs featuring sheep for the upcoming Year of the Sheep as Japan's traditional New Year card market continues to shrink.

TV Talent Dewi Sukarno Fined 200,000 Yen for Assault

The Tokyo District Court on October 6 fined television personality Dewi Sukarno, widely known in Japan as Dewi Fujin, 200,000 yen after finding the 86-year-old guilty of assaulting two women who worked for her agency, including a former manager.

US Marine Suspected of Strangling Woman With Hotel Phone Cord

A 20-year-old US Marine arrested over the robbery and killing of a woman at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, may have strangled her with the cord of a telephone installed in the room, investigators said.

Teen Boys Accused of Beating and Abducting 17-Year-Old

Five boys aged 15 to 17 have been arrested on suspicion of robbing and confining a 17-year-old high school student in Akishima, Tokyo, after allegedly beating him with a baton, taking his cash and forcing him to travel around on motorcycles.

Bar Owner Arrested Over Disposal of Girlfriend's Body in Mountains

A 36-year-old Tokyo bar owner was arrested on October 5 on suspicion of abandoning the body of his 25-year-old girlfriend in a mountainous area of Miyagi Prefecture, with police also investigating whether he was involved in her death.