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AKB48 Theater Executive Resigns, Former NGT48 Theater Manager's Contract Canceled
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
AKS, the management company of AKB48 and its sister groups, announced the resignation of AKB48 theater manager Takahiro Hosoi on Thursday. AKS also stated it canceled its contract with former NGT48 theater manager Etsurō Imamura. Both actions were a result of alleged "inappropriate conduct." AKS is leaving the position of AKB48 theater manager temporarily vacant.
Oricon News reported on Thursday that Hosoi had allegedly shared a photo on Twitter of him drinking with Imamura and former AKB48 theater manager Tomonobu Togasaki on Wednesday. Togasaki also supposedly posted on his Twitter account on the same day, saying, "I've heard about the whole thing. Everyone, don't be fooled by the worthless reports." Oricon claimed that both individuals deleted their respective posts. ANN could not independently confirm the content of these Twitter posts.
Togasaki posted the following day, referencing a post the day before that "caused trouble," and apologized for it, saying that he had posted it without "considering the situation."
Imamura resigned in mid-January as NGT48's theater manager, following the alleged assault of Team G vice captain Maho Yamaguchi, and Yamaguchi's comments on the incident. Maiko Hayakawa replaced Imamura as NGT48's new theater manager, with Tsuyoshi Okada as assistant manager. The Nikkan Sports newspaper then reported a few days later that AKS appointed Imamura as a board member in the AKS main office in Tokyo.
AKS announced following these events in January that it had tapped lawyers and experts to form a third-party committee to investigate if any members had performed "inappropriate conduct."
Sources: AKB48's official blog, Oricon News via Hachima Kikō
