One Year Later: Evaluating International Transfers

The announcement of Rena Nozawa joining AKB48 Team K came shortly after the franchise celebrated one year of its international transfer program. When the 48 sister group memberships were shuffled on 25 August 2012 at Tokyo Dome, fans became anxious at what the transfer program would mean for AKB48 and other groups, especially with popular members being moved overseas.

Although the exchange began as an overseas (海外) transfer program for Japanese members, the addition of Rena to the AKB48 roster has transformed it into an international (国際) transfer program with the potential of seeing additional two-way movements between sisters groups in and outside Japan in the future. Rena’s story, although inevitable given that her family would eventually resettle in Japan when her father’s work assignment was over, has likely become an inspiration for non-Japanese girls seeking join the ranks of 48 sister groups.

Her story, however, is just one perspective into the program’s results. JKT48’s two transfer members Akicha and Haruka have gained a substantial following in Indonesia, but the circumstances of their transfers were very different.

Although fans in Jakarta now see Haruka as an irreplaceable figure within JKT48, especially with her center position in the latest single “Fortune Cookie yang Mencinta”, she did not hold such status within AKB48. What Haruka had, however, was a desire to become an international actress, and the transfer program gave her the opportunity to pursue this dream. This was a risk she took on her own not knowing whether it would pay off in the long run. It should be no surprise then that she committed herself to learning Indonesian as quickly as possible.

Akicha, who joined AKB48 three generations after Haruka, had shot to stardom and reached 12th position during the 2011 senbatsu election. Her meteoric rise was then followed by an equally meteoric drop in popularity in the 2012 election and led to her questioning the security of her own position within AKB48. Her transfer to JKT48 was the perfect opportunity to regain composure as she refocuses her career, and this was clear in the results of the 2013 election as the total votes submitted for her increased dramatically despite slipping in ranking.

Regardless of their initial purposes of moving to Jakarta, Akicha and Haruka are seen as success stories in the transfer program. (It should be noted though that, according to data aggregated by MyJKT48Theater, Akicha has only performed on stage 19 times at JKT48 Theater to date compared to Haruka’s 54.)

But while JKT48 continues its climb in popularity, the transfer program at AKB48’s other international sister group has stalled. Sae Miyazawa’s announcement in declining concurrent positions in SNH48 and AKB48 at the 2013 senbatsu election may have re-energized fans into believing that the program is still alive, how long will it be until management pulls the plug if her Chinese work visa situation is not resolved in the near future? SNH48 Theater opened last week with Sae and Mariya Suzuki nowhere to be seen.

The transfer program was initially projected to last about one year, allowing other members to experience overseas work. I and a few others had speculated that AKB48 management would make some sort of announcement related to the program at this year’s Tokyo Dome concerts, possibly even ending Akicha’s concurrent positions and moving her back permanently to AKB48. Alas, no such announcement was made, and now the transfer program quietly begins its second year in operation.

Such a move (or lack thereof) means that the transfer program is alive and well, at least for now. Even with mixed results, AKB48 management clearly wants to bank on the successes that it has achieved