AKB48 (read “A.K.B. Forty-eight”) is a Japanese girl group that has achieved such popularity in Japan that it has been characterized as a social phenomenon. It was created in July 2005, when the producer Yasushi Akimoto held an audition for a new theater-based idol girl group. Of the 7,924 girls that applied, 24 girls were chosen to become members of the … More Japanese Music: AKB48