The fifth annual AKB48 election took place at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on 6/8 (Sat.) The AKB48 election concept, which began in 2009, invites the Japanese public to vote for their favorite members of the pop idol group. The AKB48 members who receive the most votes participate in the recording of the group’s next single and are heavily promoted. This year, Oita-born Rino Sashihara, a member of Fukuoka local troupe “HKT48” came in first with a total of 150,570 votes. Sashihara transferred, (some say she was banished) from AKB48 to HKT48 last year, but her popularity didn’t diminish. The total number of votes for the election came in at 2,646,847 votes. The Top 16 will record a song, scheduled to be released in August. Meanwhile, Mt Takasaki announced the winner of their “monkey election” on the same day as the AKB48 election (6/8). Located in Oita, Mt. Takasaki is a habitat of wild Japanese monkeys (Japanese macaques). The “monkey election” concept was based on AKB48 elections – a “monkey see, monkey do kind of thing”. The winning monkey “Pi-chan” received a total of 329 votes. Her charming point is a white marking on her back. Coming in at a close second with 320 votes was a zookeeper from Mt. Takasaki, who entered the election as a human representative. The zookeeper commented she was relieved she didn’t actually win, because it’s a monkey election, so a monkey should be the focus! A “Top Saru Seven” hand fan will be released to celebrate the top seven monkeys. Official HP: http://www.takasakiyama.jp
