“JKT48” for AKB48 Request Hour 2015

AKB48 Request Hour is an annual event where fans are able to vote for their favorite songs by any of the 48 groups. Up until last year, only the Japanese groups had their songs included in Request Hour. This year, fans are able to vote for songs by JKT48 and SNH48 out of a total of 1,035 songs. (Note, however, that only “Overture” is available for SNH48.)

For AKB48 Request Hour 2015, fans are able to select from the following JKT48 options:

• Overture
• Wasshoi J!
• JKT48

Through coordination with several groups, fans in Japan have decided to concentrate their efforts in voting for the song “JKT48”. Their reasoning is that it will be open up interest to all JKT48 supporters in Japan regardless of their favorite team. Despite being the more iconic song, “Wasshoi J!” commemorates JKT48’s first generation which now belong to Team J. If this song were chosen, some feared it would alienate those who support Team KIII and Trainees.

Voting has been open since November 25 and will continue until December 22 when it closes at 3:00 pm Japan time. Fans in Japan have set an ambitious target of achieving a Top 100 rank when the results are revealed in a five-day concert series in January.

According to an information website set up by Japanese fans, there are six ways in which to vote for Request Hour. Each of these options have been calculated to determine cost per vote.

1. AKB48 38th single “Kibouteki Refrain”. (¥1,646 per vote.) One voting code is included in the limited and regular editions of the single. It is not included in the theater edition.
2. AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, HKT48 Mobile subscriber. (¥300 per vote on iPhones, and ¥324 on other devices.)
3. AKB48 Official Fan Club member. (¥1,480 per vote for first-year members, and ¥630 for members in their second year or after.)
4. AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, HKT48 Live!! On Demand subscriber. (¥3,066 per vote for first-year members.)
5. AKB48 Official Net subscriber. (¥1,480 per vote.)
6. Auctions. (Varies, ¥300–500 per vote.) Voting codes are often sold through various online auction sites such as Yahoo!, Rakuten, and Mobaoku.

For the vast majority of fans outside Japan, only options 1 and 6 will be accessible for voting in AKB48 Request Hour. Therefore, we hope for the best for fellow fans in Japan in this occasion. Should “JKT48” play in Tokyo Dome in January, it will all be thanks to the efforts of our friends in Japan.

Source: JKT48 Request Hour Countermeasures Special Site