Asahi Digital: What Happens to Idol Handshakes?
Bulletin ticker at AKB48 Cafe & Shop displays message wishing a speedy recovery for injured members. Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, May 26. (Photo: Masaru Komiyaji)
“We will create an environment where this kind of incident will never happen again.”
On May 26, former AKB48 General Manager and current Head of Customer Center Tomonobu Togasaki said management will review security preparations.
On the same day, Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Manseibashi Station strengthened security at AKB48 Theater upon the request of its management company AKS (based in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo). The first row of seats are emptied so that no one in the audience can storm the stage, and additional guards will be posted. Metal detectors are also put into use. Following the theater performance, there is no high-five session between members and attendees.
AKB48 sister groups NMB48, SKE48, and HKT48, based in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, respectively, held theater performances as scheduled. Metal detectors were also put into use, and there was no major trouble.
Handshake events are often held by idols in order to bring them closer to fans.
Up-Front Promotion, the talent agency of Morning Musume ’14, is considering whether or not to continue future handshake events. Handshake events are held to promote new songs, and many fans look forward to these meetings.
Prior to the recent incident, security guards were already in place to check the palms of attendees. Organizers said, “We value the sense of intimacy with fans, but our security must be reinforced. It’s a difficult question.”
Tomohito Tanaka, lecturer of criminal sociology at Sendai University and expert in public security, explains that the difficulty with handshake security is the ability of fans to get in contact with members without revealing their identities.
However, it is cumbersome to confirm identities with handshake tickets included in CDs that sold in unspecified numbers. A practical countermeasure would be to place an acrylic panel between a member and the fan and allow only the hands to pass through. Methods such as leaving bags outside and body check are also possible. Tanaka says, “Either way, there are costs, but since the incident has occurred, it should be considered.”
Sense of intimacy is popular
The recent handshake event was held at the Iwate Industrial Culture Center in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture. On that day, the 25th, approximately 5,000 fans were in attendance, with about 100 security personnel on-site.
According to the attendees and organizers, four tents were set up at the handshake venue, and members divided into 1–8 people in each lane. Attendees had to show their handshake ticket to the event staff before entering the lanes leading to the tent. Lanes for popular members stretched more than 30 meters. According to the attendees, security personnel checked their hands near the entrance of the tent, but there was no baggage inspection.
Only one person enters the tent at a time, each lasting several seconds. Behind the tent, security staff of about 2–4 people were waiting in case of excess time and unforeseen circumstances. If someone exceeds the allotted time, they would hurry the person along.
The incident happened about four hours after the event started.
As part of the idea of “idols you can meet”, AKB has prioritized handshake events since its formation in 2005.
A ticket to participate in the handshake event is attached to the CD single of a new work that can be purchased at a retail store. Attendees can participate in any general handshake event and decide which members to meet with at the venue. Within those few seconds, attendees can have a brief conversation while shaking hands.
Incidents of misconduct by attendees have occurred in previous handshake events.
According the the experience of an AKB fan, approximately one year ago at a handshake event in Tokyo, an attendee yelled “Hurry up and graduate already!” to a member, who later seen crying. Attendees have also witnessed incidents where a participant would not let go of a member’s hands as security personnel yelled, “Stop it!”
AKB48 Theater closed through the 31st
Notice of temporary closing posted outside AKB48 Theater. Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, May 26. (Photo: Masaru Komiyaji)
AKB48 Theater in Akihabara, Tokyo, suspended performances on the 26th and will be on hiatus through the 31st. AKB48 Cafe & Shop, which sells related official goods, ran on its bulletin ticker the message “We wish you a speedy recovery” for the two members who were injured.
“I feel sorry for the members who must be frightened,” said store customer Yuuji Tezuka (45), who is a corporate employee from Saitama. “I feel that something like this finally happened. One could meet members very close, and it did feel not really safe that way.” He has been a fan for four years and attended handshake events about 100 times. At all of those events, he only needed to show the palm of his hands to the clerk before the handshake.
A male corporate employee (43) from Chuo Ward, Tokyo, has been an AKB fan since their debut. His biggest purchase was more than 100 copies of a CD single in order to have more time to talk with members.
“It’s wonderful to have an idol recognize me. If that intimacy is taken away, I might stop being a fan. I definitely don’t want the handshakes to be discontinued.” In discussing possible measures with friends over the evening, the thought to use metal detectors came to me, but that does not seem realistic at a venue attended by tens of thousands of people.
AKB handshake events hosted by King Records, which were scheduled on the 26th, at Nagoya Dome (Nagoya) on the 31st, and at Makuhari Messe (Chiba) on June 6, have all been postponed. Nagoya-based sister group SKE48 has also stopped the customary high-five sessions with attendees following theater performances.
Idol culture expert and critic Tsunehiro Uno explains that the modern day idols, represented by AKB48, created a showbiz culture based on fan participation, through which one can meet and talk with stars who were previously only seen on television. He points out that security must be radically reviewed, but also that “meeting fans is the core of idol culture. Such events should be kept as a main activity in the long run as well.”
Papan buletin di AKB48 Cafe & Shop mengucapkan harapan untuk anggota yang terluka. Distrik Chiyoda, Tokyo, 26 Mei. (Foto: Masaru Komiyaji)
“Kami akan menciptakan suasana di mana kejadian seperti ini tidak akan terjadi lagi.”
Tomonobu Togasaki, mantan General Manager AKB48 yang sekarang menjabat sebagai kepala Customer Center, menyatakan pada tanggal 26 Mei bahwa persiapan keamanan akan ditinjau ulang.
Pada hari yang sama, kantor cabang Kepolisian Metropolitan Tokyo di Manseibashi telah meningkatkan pengamanan di Teater AKB48 atas permohonan AKS (yang berada di Distrik Chiyoda, Tokyo) sebagai pihak manajemen. Barisan pertama kursi teater dikosongkan agar penonton tidak bisa menyerbu panggung. Petugas penjaga pun ditambah, dan detektor logam akan mulai digunakan. Setelah pertunjukan teater selesai, sesi high touch antara anggota dan penonton ditiadakan.
Saudari-saudari AKB48 yang lain—NMB48, SKE48, dan HKT48, yang masing-masing berada di Osaka, Nagoya, dan Fukuoka—menggelarkan pertunjukan teater mereka sesuai jadwal. Mesin detektor logam telah dipasang di lokasi-lokasi tersebut, dan tidak ada kejadian besar.
Acara jabat tangan digelarkan oleh berbagai idola demi lebih mendekat dengan para penggemar.
Up-Front Promotion, agensi bakat yang mengurus Morning Musume ’14, sedang mempertimbangkan apakah acara jabat tangan mereka akan diteruskan setelah ini. Acara jabat tangan digelar untuk mempromosikan lagu-lagu baru mereka, dan banyak penggemar menunggu adanya acara tersebut.
Sebelum kejadian ini, petugas keamanan berada di tempat acara untuk memeriksa telapak tangan para peserta. “Kami menghargai momen keakraban dengan para penggemar, tetapi kami harus meningkatkan pengamanan,” kata pihak yang bertanggung jawab atas keamanan tersebut.
Tomohito Tanaka, seorang dosen sosiologi kriminal dan pakar keamanan umum di Universitas Sendai, menjelaskan bahwa kesulitan dalam keamanan acara jabat tangan berada dengan mampunya para penggemar berhubungan dengan seorang idola tanpa menyatakan identitas mereka yang sebenarnya.
Namun pemeriksaan identitas seseorang yang memegang tiket jabat tangan sulit diterapkan karena tiket tersebut dijual dengan jumlah yang tidak ditentukan. Tindakan yang lebih praktis adalah pemasangan kaca di antara sang penggemar dan idolanya, lalu hanya memperbolehkan tangan mereka masuk lewat kaca tersebut. Penitipan tas dan pemeriksaan badan juga bisa dipertimbangkan. “Cara-cara tersebut tentu akan makan biaya, tapi harus dipertimbangkan dengan adanya kejadian ini,” kata Profesor Tanaka.
Momen keakraban yang sangat populer
Acara jabat tangan belakangan ini diadakan di Pusat Kebudayaan Industri Iwate di kota Takizawa, Prefektur Iwate. Kira-kira 5.000 penggemar hadir di tempat pada hari itu, tanggal 25, dan petugas keamanan berjumlah kurang lebih 100 orang.
Menurut laporan dari para peserta dan pihak penyelenggara, empat tenda telah disediakan, dan para anggota AKB dibagi antara 1–8 orang dalam satu jalur. Para peserta diwajibkan menunjukkan tiket mereka sebelum masuk ke dalam jalur tersebut. Panjangnya jalur anggota yang populer bisa sampai 30 meter. Menurut para peserta, petugas keamanan juga memerika telapak tangan mereka sebelum masuk tenda, tapi tidak ada pemeriksaan tas.
Peserta boleh masuk ke dalam tenda satu-persatu selama beberapa detik. Di belakang tenda tersebut ada 2–4 petugas keamanan sebagai penjaga waktu. Apabila seseorang berada di dalam tenda terlalu lama, mereka akan mendorong orang tersebut untuk keluar.
Peristiwa terjadi kira-kira empat jam setelah acara dimulai.
Dengan konsep “idola yang bisa ditemui”, AKB48 telah memfokuskan acara jabat tangan sejak grup tersebut dibentuk pada tahun 2005.
Tiket untuk ikut serta dalam acara jabat tangan dilampirkan dalam CD single baru yang dijual di berbagai toko. Peserta bisa datang ke acara jabat tangan umum yang manapun dan menentukan berjabat tangan dengan anggota yang mana di lokasi. Dalam beberapa saat tersebut, para penggemar bisa berjabat tangan sekaligus berbincang kecil.
Peristiwa penyalahgunaan oleh peserta telah terjadi di beberapa acara jabat tangan sebelumnya.
Menurut pengalaman seorang penggemar AKB, tahun lalu ada kejadian di suatu acara jabat tangan di Tokyo di mana seorang peserta berteriak “Cepat lulus saja!” kepada seorang anggota grup dan membuatnya menangis. Peserta lain juga pernah melihat kejadian di mana seorang penggemar tidak mau melepaskan tangan idolanya walaupun sudah diperingati oleh petugas keamanan untuk berhenti.
Teater AKB48 tutup sampai tanggal 31
Pengumuman penutupan sementara Teater AKB48. Distrik Chiyoda, Tokyo, 26 Mei. (Foto: Masaru Komiyaji)
Pertunjukan Teater AKB48 di Akihabara, Tokyo, dibatalkan pada tanggal 26 dan ditiadakan sampai tanggal 31. Papan buletin elektronik di AKB48 Cafe &Shop menulis “Semoga lekas pulih” untuk kedua anggota yang terluka.
“Saya merasa kasihan untuk para anggota yang merasa takut,” ujar seorang karyawan swasta Yuuji Tezuka (45) dari kota Saitama, yang datang sebagai pelanggan toko. “Ada perasaan akhirnya peristiwa ini terjadi juga. Saya memang pikir tidak aman apabila bisa bertemu dengan para anggota secara langsung seperti itu.” Ia sudah menjadi penggemar selama empat tahun dan menghadirkan kurang lebih 100 acara jabat tangan. Di acara-acara tersebut, ia hanya perlu menunjukkan telapak tangannya kepada petugas keamanan.
Seorang karyawan swasta (43) dari Distrik Chuo, Tokyo, sudah menjadi penggemar AKB sejak mereka debut. Demi mendapatkan waktu berbicara yang banyak saat acara jabat tangan, ia pernah membeli 100 lembar tiket. Kata-kata semangat disampaikan langsung kepada para anggota.
“Saya senang apabila mereka kenal saya. Kalau suasana keakraban itu hilang, mungkin saya akan berhenti sebagai penggemar. Saya tidak mau acara jabat tangan ditiadakan.” Dalam percakapan saya dengan seorang teman di malam hari, saya mempertimbangkan penggunaan mesin detektor logam, tetapi saya pikir itu tidak realistis di lokasi yang didatangi belasan ribu orang.
Acara jabat tangan AKB yang diselenggarakan oleh King Records pada tanggal 26, di Nagoya Dome (kota Nagoya) pada tanggal 31, dan di Makuhari Messe (kota Chiba) pada tanggal 6 Juni telah diundur. Grup saudari SKE48 di Nagoya juga menghentikan sesi high touch dengan para penonton setelah pertunjukan teater.
Ahli budaya idola dan kritikus Tsunehiro Uno menjelaskan bahwa idola jaman sekarang yang diwakilkan oleh AKB48 menciptakan budaya hiburan yang didasarkan oleh keikutsertaan para penggemar. Mereka bisa bertemu langsung dan berbicara dengan selebriti yang sebelumnya hanya bisa dilihat melalui televisi. Menurutnya persiapan keamanan harus ditinjau seluruhnya, namun “pertemuan dengan para penggemar adalah inti budaya idola. Acara tersebut sebaiknya dipertahankan sebagai kegiatan utama juga.”
Translation by RHKilis and Wotaliano
is there anyone who can relay this to JOT?
This event also affect JKT48 theater as well. Though no official information is given on the website or twitter, the security inside JKT48 theater has been reinforced since yesterday (May 26th 2014).
1. Fans should put off their jacket before entering the theater.
2. Bag checking (the same).
3. Body checking. There’s a male security and female staff (the one in casheer) that will check your body.
4. The first row seats are now move about 50 cm to the back.
5. No more handshake for Team KIII show. It’s now replaced with high touch, for all kind of shows.
6. The desks for high touch now move to the left side, so you have to to high touch with your left hand.
7. After the show, before leaving the theater area, a security will check your hands, making sure it’s empty.
8. No letter or gifts may be given during high touch. Security will make sure of this.
I don’t know whether further security measures will be heightened on the upcoming days.
On today’s show, I believe Team KIII members are regretting that the HS is now changed with HT. Even though they’ re not saying it, but it was reflected after the show. Viny led the team to give a “kiss bye” to all fans in theater before the team doing their final goodbye bows.
Wow..Now the perpetrator will really be killed if he released after this (not gonna happen). Because of him, all of us affected by the incident. Good job JOT to prevent the same thing happen at JKT48 theater. Although I’m sad about these changes, if it is for the girls safety I’m okay with it.
Thank you Pitra. I had not been able to attend the theater in the last two months so I really appreciate the information. Anyway, “(the one in casheer)”. It’s called cashier.
yahg nabilahayu