A member of J-pop girl group NGT48 apologized Thursday (Jan. 10) for publicly addressing an assault against her. Yamaguchi Maho, a member of the AKB48-associated act, apologized Thursday night in Japan for “causing trouble,” according to fan-captured videos from the act’s third-anniversary concert.
In recordings from the event, fans can be heard expressing support for her, as she said she wanted to protect the act through her recent actions and has since spoken to management and hopes to take NGT48 in a new direction.
During both the video and on Twitter, Yamaguchi said she had been silent over the past month while waiting for the act’s management to take action but was coming forward to express concern over the safety of both herself and other members of NGT48, some of whom she said had faced similar situations. Prior to the live stream being cut short, the singer said she had feared for her life during the incident. In additional tweets translated by fans but that no longer appear on her Twitter account, Yamaguchi allegedly said that someone within NGT48 was accountable.
NGT48 premiered in 2015 as a Niigata-based group managed by AKS, the company behind AKB48 and its offshoots throughout Japan. According to Kotaku, Japanese media is reporting that NGT48 denies another member had a role in giving out Yamaguchi's home address.
Billboard has reached out through NGT48's website for a statement.
A Japanese popstar has apologised after speaking out about allegedly being assaulted in her own home by two male 'fans'. Maho Yamaguchi, 23, revealed this week that she had been 'attacked by two men' at her flat in Niigata, central Japan, accusing fellow members of the pop-group NGT48 of leaking her personal details to fans.
Yesterday, Yamaguchi apologised during a performance in the city, bowing deeply to the crowd before saying she regretted 'causing trouble' by speaking publicly about the alleged assault.
NGT48 is a so-called 'idol group', a Japanese manufactured performance group with 48 members, of which Yamaguchi is a 'team leader'. Local media reports that Yamaguchi was attacked on December 8, as she entered her flat in Niigata, by two men 'grabbing her by the face'.
Despite the alleged assault taking place last month, Yamaguchi did not address the incident until earlier this week. In an emotional video livestreamed on social media, Yamaguchi broke down in tears as she spoke for the first time about the attack.
She claimed that someone in NGT48 had leaked her personal details, including her address, and that this had seen the two men turn up at her door. With tears streaming down her face, she relayed her fear as she was pinned down by the two attackers outside her flat. She claimed she was able to escape when they became distracted by the building's lift.
Takumi Matsumura, Maiko Hayakawa, and Tsuyoshi Okada of NGT48's talent agency AKS appeared at a press conference on Monday to apologize for the circumstances around the incident in which two men were arrested, but subsequently released, for allegedly assaulting NGT48 member Maho Yamaguchi.
Matsumura, the company director, opened with, "We would like to take this occasion to apologize again to everyone for causing troubles, difficulties, and worries. For causing anxiety to fans and, of course, to members, we are truly sorry."
Matsumura also apologized for the delay in responding to the issue, and explained that the reason was because they wanted to check with police first. He also said that he was previously concerned that being open about the issue would cause secondary or tertiary damage to the members, but that he and the rest of the staff should have communicated more with Yamaguchi herself.
Hayakawa recently took over as NGT48 theater manager following the resignation of the previous manager Etsurō Imamura, while Tsuyoshi Okada is the new assistant manager. Regarding the personnel change, Matsumura explained that Hayakawa was appointed because she is a woman and understands a woman's point of view. Hayakawa said that she is speaking to each of the members of NGT48 individually in order to create a good group.
It was a meant to be a happy occasion to launch the New Year -- a meet and greet between a Japanese pop idol and her fans.
But Maho Yamaguchi didn't turn up to her pop group's event on January 6. In the following days, she apologized for her absence and went public as to the reason why: An alleged assault at the hands of two male fans. "I am sorry to shock you guys. Some might get scared to hear what happened to me. I am really sorry. I wanted to help those who were going through the same experience," she posted on her Twitter account on January 8.
Yamaguchi is a member of Niigata-based "idol group" NGT48, a sister group to the famous 48-member girl band AKB48. She claimed a member of her group had leaked her address to two male fans who assaulted her at home on December 8 last year.
"I didn't do anything for a month because I didn't want to impose on everyone that supports me. I don't want you to dislike NGT (the pop band) ... That's because I believed they'd sort all this out," Yamaguchi added on Twitter.
Following her online confession, Yamaguchi made a fleeting appearance at her pop group's three-year anniversary show on January 10 and apologized in person for "causing trouble" to her fans.
A statement on NGT48's website last week confirmed that another member had told male fans when Yamaguchi might return home. The two men were arrested on suspicion of grabbing her face but later released. Yamaguchi insinuated her management company did nothing to deal with those involved in her ordeal.
