Japanese Pop Idol Apologizes After Being Allegedly Attacked
Brian Ashcraft
Thursday 7:30am
Maho Yamaguchi is a member of Niigata-based idol group NGT48, a sister group of AKB48. Two men have been arrested for allegedly assaulting her. Yet tonight, it was Yamaguchi who apologized.
Run by a talent company known as AKS, AKB48 is one of Japan’s most successful idol groups with numerous spin-off groups, including NGT48 of which Yamaguchi, whom fans call “Mahohon,” belongs. Each of the groups has a massive amount of members—hence, the 48 number.
NHK reports that on December 8, two men, both in their mid-20s, allegedly grabbed her face, assaulting Yamaguchi at her home’s entrance.
The two men said they “just wanted to talk with her.” They denied the assault and were later released without charge. Japan’s Daily Sports reports that it was told Yamaguchi screamed with surprise when she saw the men, causing them to cover her mouth. A police officer, the paper adds, rushed to the scene.
Earlier this week, Yamaguchi spoke about what happened in an online stream, saying she thought she could have been killed. You can watch below, but it suddenly stops while she was speaking.
According to Daily Sports, NGT48's management denies that another group member gave out Yamaguchi’s home address.
Tonight, Yamaguchi went on stage and apologized for “causing trouble,” bowing several times before a packed crowd.
Japanese pop idol’s apology for being assaulted at home sparks outrage
by crystal tai
TOKYO (SCMP): A Japanese idol’s apology over being assaulted has triggered waves of anger towards her management company by people in Japan and around the world.
Maho Yamaguchi, a member of pop group NGT48, apologised for causing “trouble” after she spoke out about an alleged assault that occurred in December 2018.
Maho Yamaguchi should not have to apologize for getting assaulted.
I accept this apology as in not burning more bridges to keep getting jobs, but never ever should this be an apology for the attacker, the management or the leaker.
The 23-year-old singer, often referred to as “Mahohon” by fans, stood on stage and bowed deeply several times in a video taken during the group’s third-year anniversary concert.
“I am sorry for the trouble caused,” she told the crowd.
In a video livestream earlier in the week, Yamaguchi alleged that two men entered her home, covered her mouth and tackled her to the ground, before she managed to get away.
The men were arrested, but later freed without any charges.
Yamaguchi alluded to her management’s inaction over the matter in the video, and said she was concerned for her safety and that of other members of NGT48, an offshoot of the popular Japanese group AKB48.
“This time, I escaped harm,” she said during the livestream. “But I think about what would’ve happened if I had been killed, if the unthinkable were to happen and nothing was done in time.”
Yamaguchi’s apology and assault sparked outrage among fans and members of the public, who expressed their fury online.
Under the hashtag #justiceforMahohon, Twitter user @namdewartelnai said: “No girl should be apologising for exposing the truth about how she’s been assaulted by men and didn’t get justice from the people who should be protecting her. Stop blaming [and] silencing the victims!”
“She doesn’t have to apologise for speaking up,” wrote @dalbitare. “She’s the victim here. She’s stalked and almost got raped and people around her turn their back on her. Somebody please save this girl.”
Others spoke of exploitation and inhumane treatment within the Japanese entertainment industry.
“The Japanese Idol Industry is something that has needed a massive overhaul,” wrote @halffishharuka. “It was clear after that member of AKB48 was publicly shamed, shaved her head/apologized for having a boyfriend that the industry is very sexist and not willing to protect these girls,” the Twitter user added, referencing the incident when AKB48 idol Minami Minegishi shaved her head and apologised by video and was demoted within the group, after being discovered for having spent the night at the apartment of a male idol.
Former NGT48 member Rie Kitahara was among Yamaguchi’s few high-profile supporters. “You should not apologise! Do not apologise. You haven’t done anything wrong. Seriously! It’s wrong [for you to have] to bow in apology. I’m upset and frustrated,” the 27-year-old said in a statement released on Twitter.
Supporters filed a petition demanding an apology from the AKS management company and calling for the resignation of Yamaguchi’s manager. As of Friday afternoon, more than 26,000 people had signed the petition.
Experts say silencing victims of violence and assault, such as in the case of Yamaguchi, is related to the nation’s social values.
The characteristic of forbearance, or gaman in Japanese, is considered one of the most highly-valued traits of a Japanese citizen, said Linda White, a cultural anthropologist and associate professor of Japanese studies at Middlebury College in Vermont.
“For men, this often reveals itself in the ability to work gruelling hours or endure torturous physical training. For women, gaman is often associated with tolerating uncomfortable, or even abusive social interactions and power hierarchies,” she said.
“When a husband is abusive, the wife needs to gaman, when a boss wants a sexual favour, a young worker should gaman. And while gaman, may look like masochism to an outsider, it is a highly prized characteristic in both men and women in Japan,” said White, who added that on top of “taking it” women should bear difficulties without reporting them to protect a family or organisation’s honour.
But all this is changing as more high-profile women come forward to talk about assault and violence against women.
Over the past year, Japan has seen the rise of its own #metoo movement, with an increasing number of high-profile victims, including journalist Shiori Ito, coming forward to name their assaulters.
In spring 2018, there were a couple of high-profile resignations of bureaucrats, said Liv Coleman, an associate professor and Japan gender specialist at the University of Tampa, referring to cases such as the resignation of Junichi Fukuda, Japan’s then-minister of finance, over allegations sexual harassment.
“But there has also been public, vocal criticism of women who have brought claims,” she said. “This serves to deter other women from bringing forth allegations of sexual harassment and assault.”
A 2016 survey conducted by Japan’s cabinet office found that only 4.3 per cent of rape victims reported their assaults to the police. Reasons for not reporting the crimes included embarrassment, or a belief they were also “in the wrong”, or that it was “pointless [to address]” the incident, according to a report by the Japan Times. – South China Morning Post
AKB48 Group - Seijin no Hi / Seijinshiki “Coming of Age Day Ceremony” (14/1/2019)
Seijin shiki (成人式, upacara orang dewasa) adalah upacara tahunan yang diadakan pemerintah tempatan kota dan desa di Jepun yang mengundang penduduk yang telah mencapai usia 20 tahun untuk merayakan usia yang telah dianggap cukup umur menurut undang-undang jepun. Acara diselenggarakan di dewan pertemuan, ballroom hotel, dewan serbaguna atau di kuil. Acara dimeriahkan dengan pidato, penerimaan cendera mata, jamuan makan, dan foto bersama.
Post time 21-12-2018 06:22 PM
