Nope…Not Buying Into The Propaganda
Okay, I was going to do a post on the major announcements at Yoyogi last weekend. But I had to comment on some of the silliness I have been reading on ALL of the different forums. The nonsense I am talking about has to do with recent tabloid allegations with regards to the underbelly of AKB48. Now when I say “silliness”, that isn’t to say that I don’t think there is some truth to these allegations. To be honest I don’t really know for sure. How would I? But some of what I am hearing is so ridiculous that I felt compelled to address it. Let’s go over some of what is being said…
* AKB48 members make 1.2 million yen per year, which comes to about $1000 usd per month
* The head honchos at AKS make regular practice of sleeping with AKB48’s members in exchange for additional salary, promotion, and use of company credit cards
* AKB48’s fan makeup consists primarily of Korean spies from a company called Dentsu, and in fact many of AKB48’s members are actually Koreans living in Japan. To take it a step further, that means most of the AKB48 fans you are meeting online (which include me) are actually Korean spies.
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Okayyyyyy. Let’s just knock out that third “revelation” as being completely idiotic. The problem was the person trying to spread this propaganda got greedy. As a result they totally blew their credibility. I don’t know who Dentsu is. Apparently they are some sort of promotional agency in Japan. I don’t know what kind of power they wield in the idol industry. But the idea that there entire existence is a gigantic Korean conspiracy is ludicrous. Okay? nuff’ said, next…
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The second revelation is tougher to work around. In fact I have met a few Japanese who believe the idol industry IS indeed driven by sex. It certainly happens in the American entertainment industry. So why not Japan? In AKB48’s case, they are cute young girls in a business run primarily by men. So it would be naive to think there has never been any monkey business going on. I’m sure many girls have been propositioned during their time as idols, with promises of career advancement if they go along. And I am sure some of them have “taken the bait”, so to speak. But these allegations take it a step further, saying that there are many girls regularly partaking in this activity. Plus, it is widely known by staff and group members alike. This is the point where my bullshit meter begins flashing red…
First of all, many of the girls in AKB48 are underage. They also have parents. If the allegations were true it would mean these people in management would be opening themselves up to a rape scandal of monumental proportions. There are quite a few former members of AKB48. Not one former idol has come forward to expose this supposed scandal? Not to mention the girls that choose not to participate, and as a result aren’t getting preferential treatment. They wouldn’t say anything? I am sure all of this is stemming from the Shinoda Mariko scandal that AKS is currently in a lawsuit over. I have no idea if there is any truth to those rumors. Could be. The people from the scandal mag seem to think so.
But at the end of the day. Do I think some of the girls might have had relations with management to further their careers. Sure, it’s possible. Do I think AKS is a front for some sort of “idol orgy”? I highly doubt it. It doesn’t make sense. Put yourself in AkiP’s shoes for a minute…
Whatever your opinion is about Akimoto Yasushi, do you really think he would allow this type of nonsense to go on in his business organization? He is a businessman, not a pimp.
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The first rumor is the one I find the most troubling. It isn’t the whole 1.2 million yen thing. I have actually heard more of this rumor from other sources. So let’s rundown the supposed “facts”…
* The members make approximately one hundred thousand yen per month.
* Each member makes the same salary (out of “fairness”)
* Agencies might make individual deals for their members, but the agency itself takes all of that additional money.
* Members do not make any additional money from outside appearances, photobooks, movie roles etc. All profits from those ventures are taken by AKB management and the girls’ agency.
Surprisingly when I expressed my disbelief of these allegations I was met with people telling me that I didn’t understand Japanese business customs. When I asked if these “customs” stretched to all facets of the Japanese entertainment industry. I was told no, only for young idols. Anyone smelling the bullshit yet?
Now the 1.2 million yen per month I do find believable to a point. The girls most likely have a base salary, and it could conceivably be that low. In fact, I would imagine the kenkyuusei make even less. And unless a members’ agency has made a special deal with AKS, the girls probably aren’t profiting directly from AKB48’s increased sales. And I doubt that they have. We DO know that the members do get other perks, which you have to figure into their salary. Things like housing, schooling, training, and other perks are surely included. I DID read some time ago that the girls DO actually make additional salary “per appearance”. They also make additional salary for things like 2-shots. It probably isn’t much. But I am sure they make something.
But I find it impossible to believe that the girls join agencies without any sort of monetary advancement whatsoever. I mean what’s the point of having an agent if it isn’t to get you a better deal? Somebody said “prestige”. Hahaha, prestige of what? That you get to work even harder and earn wages that are less than a McDonalds employee? Does that make any sense? Some girls get more and more famous, but make no more money while their management takes every penny? Once again I will point out that all of these girls have PARENTS! If it was such a raw deal you would see them pulling their kids out of this “slave camp” in droves. In fact I also heard information that totally contradicts this nonsense. Ever notice how some of the most popular members seem to be absent from the theater more often? It is because their outside appearances are more lucrative for them. i.e. THEY MAKE MORE MONEY!
I laughed hardest when I was told the girls make the same amount of money out of “fairness”. And that if they found out other girls made more they would complain. Oh, the hahrer!!! Notice that nobody is concerned about complaints of having to “sleep their way” to the top or making fair wages for the work they actually do.
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So let’s see. If we buy into all this, then…
Maeda Atsuko makes $1000 per month, and gets an apartment.
Suzuki Mariya ALSO makes $1000 per month, and also gets an apartment.
That’s it, nothing more. No matter how hard they work.
Oh, forgot. Maeda gets to buy cute clothes once in a while when she engages is relations with AKS management…
Oh yeah…they are both Korean
And I am a Korean spy. I also lined up with 15,000 other Korean spies in the pelting rain at Yokohama just to buy trading cards and microfiber towels.
Is that what we are alleging here? Does it make any sense whatsoever?
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I didn’t think so.
CK in California
Perhaps just as a slight counterpoint to your argument against the first and second allegations.
Asia, by and large, is a collectivistic culture. Most especially in Japan (and perhaps China as well) which has had a long history of resisting western influence, maintaining social harmony (more often than not) takes precedence over any person’s individual rights. It is a cultural phenomenon that permeates every level of Asian society.
So even if say, most of the girls are overworked and underpaid (not exactly uncommon in Japan, I’m sure you’ve read of the “Karoshi” statistics before), or they partake in dubious relations (even the underaged ones), and that everyone “within the group” knows about it, they (and their PARENTS) may still choose to keep quiet about it for fear of bringing shame and unwanted attention to themselves and the people around them (the whole maintaining social harmony part). The more disastrous a scandal, the more unlikely it is to be revealed. The victim of a rape scandal has just as much, if not more to lose than the perpetrator.
I do agree with your arguments on both points though, but those allegations perhaps aren’t quite as far fetched as you might think. I guess my main point is – we’ll most likely never know, because they’ll most likely never tell.
The third allegation is, of course, utter BS :P.
ya know what,,one of the very first vids i saw on youtube was where miichan said their montly salary. i belive it was the low figure of a grand,,and she said it with a smile on her face. ill try to find it but buried under all the others.
Hmmmm… nice piece. I hadn’t really heard much about all this other than the ‘scandal’ about monthly salaries and what not, so I found this fairly informative.