The niche they carved out in the Japanese entertainment industry is now filled by popular idol groups like AKB48, Nogizaka46, and Momoiro Clover Z. But the idol industry has a dark side.

Kojima, a former member of the pop group AKB48, was not injured in the incident ... arrested and is continuing to investigate ...

Gyoten, 25, from Kagawa Prefecture, made her debut in 2014 as a founding member of Team 8, a subgroup of AKB48 comprising one representative from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. Kurosu ...

For more than half her life, while other members came and went, Yuki Kashiwagi has been an effervescent presence of the hugely popular AKB48 group. But she will finally move on to a new stage in ...