Megapopular all-girl idol group AKB48 will release a new song, "Tenohira," as a part of their Tohoku reconstruction support project "Dareka no tameni" (What can I do for someone?)
AKB48's management said the digital song will be released online at 6 p.m. on March 8.
AKB48 has already has raised over 1.25 billion yen through this project and donated it to Japanese Red Cross.
Along with concerts and fan handshake events, members of AKB48, including its sister group SKE48, have visited disaster-hit areas 22 times and performed mini-concerts, Christmas events, and so on.
AKB48 will also set up a special website for the project to raise more funds for the Japanese Red Cross.
On March 11, which will mark the second anniversary of the disaster, AKB48, SKE48, NMB48 and HKT48 will perform a charity concert at their theater in Tokyo's Akihabara.
© Japan Today
22 Comments
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Daijoboots
AKB are awesome (^3^)
Ranger_Miffy2
Are there any new homes for people still stuck in shelters coming out of all this money? What exactly is it going for? I mean, nice idea for sure, but just like the Red Cross, where did that money go?????
Daijoboots
It's great to ask these open questions and add lots of question marks, but even better is to look for that information yourself rather than implying god knows what.
Here. It's an income and expenditure statement of the Japanese Red Cross Society for international donations to March 31, 2012. The donation period is open until the end of this month by the way.
http://www.jrc.or.jp/vcmslf/jrcstatementincomeexpenditure.pdf (add an underbar between vcms and lf, between jrc and statement, between statement and income, and between income and expenditure.
avigator
Can not wait until this group disbands and worthy news fill the gap.
Daijoboots
Wow. Have you raised a billion yen for anything lately?
jimex289
Yup, people may hate all they want but the group has probably donated and raised more money than any other celebrity for this disaster. Even after two years they haven't forgotten and are still taking part in charity work. That's to be commended.
Jimizo
Oh, give them a break. I'm not a fan of them but they are raising some much needed cash. Save any bile for misuse of funds.
falseflagsteve
The band has not donated any money. They are paid a salary and have no say in where sales proceeds go to or what they do.
Ranger_Miffy2
Oh thank you for your sarcasm Daijoboots. Why don't you ask something more productive like why this information was not included in the news article?
Moderator
It is included in the article.
kurisupisu
My wife works for the Red Cross yet has no idea where these donations have gone.....or are going!
globalwatcher
Sigh.....AKB,...how long do we have to put up with a moron group like AKB that is changing Japanese to sheep generations?
Probably AKB will work for BOJ and ABE selling bonds until the inflation target hits 2%. . But most AKB fans do not have money. LOL
CrisGerSan
I am proud of the girls for their continuing efforts on good causes. They are a very special and good group and i wish people would just look and see that. Thank you for sharing this nice story.
Wolfpack
You never have to put up with them - just don't buy their stuff. That should be a pretty easy thing to do!
Anyway, I can't bring myself to be critical when it comes to giving to a truly worthy charitable cause - but that's just me.
Jimizo
Oh, please. The people in need of assistance need cash and if the popularity of AKB is used to generate it, even if the motive is self-publicizing, so be it. Misuse of funds is scandalous, but I don't think the members AKB have input on how the money is to be allocated. I don't listen to AKB and nor do/did I listen to Arashi, SMAP, Morning Musume, The Backstreet Boys, Take That, The Spice Girls etc. It's just manufactured bubblegum pop and has been around for as I can remember without leading us to an apocalypse.
Fadamor
Hmm Mods I think Ranger_Miffy was complaining that the Red Cross Income/Expense Statement link wasn't included in the article, to which I reply "It wasn't included because it doesn't have anything to do with this article about a band releasing a song to raise funds for a charity."
Daijoboots, let's see if using the "LINK" button formats the URL any better:
http://www.jrc.or.jp/vcms_lf/jrc_statement_income_expenditure.pdf
Fadamor
yep. Works fine if you define it as a link.
Fadamor
From the Red Cross Website:
http://www.jrc.or.jp/eq-japan2011/donation/index.html
If you want to see what the Red Cross has been doing with donations that WEREN'T specifically targeted for the victims, here's the Status report dated December 6 2012:
http://www.jrc.or.jp/vcms_lf/Ops_Update_No9_20121206_FINAL.pdf
Arrgh Garry
nice to see,the money raised going to the red cross ,maybe 10 years later some small part will arrive from this high admin cost group..charities are a scam
nath
AKB may pander to some of the less appealing features of Japanese oyajidom, but this is a great reason to contrinue to love and admire them.
Wakarimasen
Go girls!!!!
Fadamor
What part of "The Japanese Red Cross takes no administrative fees from the funds" are you unable to comprehend?