Japanese idol groups

AKB48 (pronounced A.K.B. Forty-Eight) is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with its own theater and performing daily so fans could always see them live (which is not the case with usual pop groups giving occasional concerts and seen on television). This "Idols You Can Meet" concept includes teams which can rotate performances and perform simultaneously at several events a

Japanese band

Japanese female idol trio

, stylized in all caps, is a Japanese kawaii metal band formed in Tokyo in 2010. It consists of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal" (lead vocals, dancing), Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal" (backing vocals, dancing), and Momoko Okazaki as "Momometal" (backing vocals, dancing). The band is produced by Kobametal from the talent agency Amuse Inc. Their vocals are backed by instrumentation performed by a group of session musicians known as the "Kami Band".

Japanese female idol group

thumb|Autographs of Arashi members in 2009

Japanese music group

was a Japanese boy band under Starto Entertainment. Their formation under Johnny & Associates was in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Their debut on March 22, 2006, was marked by a tripartite release of a CD single, album and music DVD on their exclusive record label J-One Records. Since then, all of their single, album and music DVD releases have debuted at number one on the Oricon music and DVD charts.

Japanese female idol group

Japanese girl group

NiziU (; ) is a Japanese girl group formed by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan through the reality-survival program Nizi Project (2020). The group is composed of nine members: Mako, Rio, Maya, Riku, Ayaka, Mayuka, Rima, Miihi, and Nina. Active in both Japan and Korea, NiziU debuted on December 2, 2020, with the release of their debut single "Step and a Step", and made their Korean debut on October 30, 2023, with the release of their single album "Press Play".

was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-piece with Katsuyuki Mori, until his departure from the band in 1996. The name stands for "Sports Music Assemble People". After making their debut in 1991, the group took the Japanese entertainment industry by storm, becoming one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. The group is often referred to as a "national treasure" and a "fortune and property of the

HKT48 (read "H.K.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. HKT48 is named after the Hakata-ku ward of Fukuoka, where Akimoto originally intended to base the group. The group currently performs at City Bank HKT48 Theater in Fukuoka and has sold nearly 4 million copies of CDs in Japan.

Japanese male idol group

Japanese musical group; boy band

Japanese virtual YouTuber agency operated by Cover Corporation

is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the "official rival" of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, and Hinatazaka46.

SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a shopping center in Sakae, Nagoya. Avex Group is its current official label. The group has sold nearly 11 million CDs in Japan.

, formerly , is a Japanese idol girl group from the musical collective Hello! Project, which originally consisted of four former Hello! Pro Egg (Hello! Project trainees) members that left Egg in 2010 and became full-time members of Hello! Project. In 2010, they won the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist. In 2011, five new girls were added to the group as part of the second generation, with two being former Egg members and three new girls. In 2014, three new members joined the group as third generation members.

Japanese idol duo Johnny & Associates

is a Japanese boy band formed through the first season of Produce 101 Japan by Lapone Entertainment. The band is composed of ten members: Issei Mamehara, Ren Kawashiri, Takumi Kawanishi, Shosei Ohira, Ruki Shiroiwa, Keigo Sato, Syoya Kimata, Junki Kono, Sukai Kinjo, and Sho Yonashiro. Former member Shion Tsurubo left the band in 2025. The group is the first permanent Produce 101 winning group.

Japanese boy band

&Team (stylised in all caps; ) is a Japanese boy band formed by YX Labels. The group is composed of nine members: K, Fuma, Nicholas, EJ, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki, and Maki. They were formed through the reality/survival program &Audition – The Howling as their label's first group. &Team released their debut single "Under the Skin" on November 21, 2022, and officially debuted with their first extended play First Howling: Me on December 7, 2022.

former Japanese male idol group

Buono! was a subgroup of the Japanese girl groups Berryz Kobo and Cute, formed in 2007 by Up-Front Promotion and associated with Hello! Project. The members consisted of Momoko Tsugunaga and Miyabi Natsuyaki from Berryz Kobo, and Airi Suzuki from Cute. Their vocals were backed by the band Dolce, which formerly went under name Busters! in 2008.

NMB48 (read "N.M.B. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group that debuted in 2011 as the second sister group to AKB48, produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NMB48 is named after the Namba district in Osaka city of Osaka Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at the NMB48 Theater, which is located in the basement of the Yes-Namba Building in Namba, Osaka. The group has sold over 9 million CDs in Japan.

, formerly , is a Japanese idol girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was created on August 21, 2015, becoming Nogizaka46's first sister group under the Sakamichi Series. The group was rebranded as Sakurazaka46 after their last concert on October 13, 2020. The group's fans are known as Buddies.

Japanese male idol duo

Timelesz (stylized as timelesz, formerly known as Sexy Zone) is an eight-member Japanese boy band managed by Starto Entertainment (formerly of Johnny & Associates).

Juice=Juice, pronounced "Juice Juice", is an eleven-member Japanese idol girl group formed in 2013. The group originally consisted of six trainee members of Hello! Project. They have released three studio albums and seventeen singles.

is a Korean and Japanese boy band based in South Korea. The band was formed through the reality-survival program Nizi Project Season 2 and managed by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The group consists of seven members: Tomoya, Yu, Haru, So Geon, Seita, Hyui, and Yuki. The group debuted on May 20, 2024, with the single album Ride the Vibe along with the lead single of the same name.

ClariS is a Japanese pop music group formed in 2009, originally composed of Hokkaido junior high schoolers Clara and Alice. Once a duo, the lineup consisted of the two before Alice's departure in mid-2014, with Karen joining later that year. Following Karen's departure in 2024, Elly and Anna joined Claris in early 2025.

Japanese idol group

was a sub-unit of the Japanese idol girl groups Morning Musume and Coconuts Musume. It was formed by Up-Front Promotion in 2000 and associated with Hello! Project. The group was founded by Morning Musume members Mari Yaguchi, Nozomi Tsuji, and Ai Kago, with Coconuts Musume member Mika later added as a member. After Yaguchi's departure in 2002, Morning Musume member Ai Takahashi was added into the group.

Japanese girl group

, is a Japanese idol girl group that formed in October 2018. They released their debut single, "Megane no Otoko no Ko / Nippon no D・N・A! / Go Waist", on August 7, 2019.

STU48 (Setouchi48) is a Japanese idol group and sister group of AKB48 named after the Setouchi Region. The group had a from 2019 to 2021. It is co-owned by the tourism board of Setouchi Region and is highly involved in their promotional efforts. The group's captain is Azumi Okada and the vice captain is Akari Fukuda.

is a Japanese pop boy band managed by Vision Factory and signed to the Pony Canyon label since 2000. The group consists of Ryohei Chiba and Keita Tachibana; Ryuichi Ogata left the group in 2020. Tachibana is the lead singer of the group, while Chiba and Ogata provide backing vocals and rap.

Japanese idol group, renamed "Country Girls" on November 5, 2014

Japanese female vocal/dance group

Japanese girl group (2009-)

is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was established as a subgroup of Keyakizaka46 named Hiragana Keyakizaka46 on 30 November 2015, and was renamed and spun off into its own group on 11 February 2019. The group's name is adopted from the alternate reading of Hyūgazaka Street in Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo, following the custom of naming groups after sloping streets in the Sakamichi Series. The captain of the group is Mikuni Takahashi and its fans are referred to as .

was a sub-group of the Japanese idol girl group Morning Musume and associated with Hello! Project. It was formed by Up-Front Promotion in November 1998 as Morning Musume's first sub-group. While the main group Morning Musume features predominantly upbeat songs with a fast tempo, Tanpopo featured slower tempo, sentimental and retro-style songs.

band

was a Japanese girl group under Hello! Project.

Japanese pop band

SDN48 (read S.D.N. Forty-Eight, short for Saturday Night 48) was a Japanese idol girl group, created and produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SDN48 was created based on an "adult idol" concept. Former AKB48 member Kayo Noro was chosen as the captain of the group. In November 2010, the group made their major label debut with "Gagaga". The group ended with a farewell concert on March 31, 2012.

NGT48 (pronounced "N.G.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NGT48 is named after Niigata City of Niigata Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at the NGT48 Theater which is located in the fourth floor of the LoveLa2 shopping mall in Niigata City.

former Japanese musical girl group (2008-2013)

was a Japanese girl group associated with Hello! Project. The group was created to promote Morning Musume's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, titled . Their sound is said to have an R&B feel.

Japanese idol group

9nine (pronounced simply "nine") is a Japanese idol group formed of Uki Satake, Sayaka Nishiwaki, and Hirona Murata. Formed in 2005, they are managed by LesPros Entertainment and signed to SME Records.

thumb|Official Idoling!!! logo

Japanese girl band

Kis-My-Ft2 (キスマイフットツー, Kisu Mai Futto Tsū, "Kiss My Foot Two") is a six-member Japanese boy band under Starto Entertainment, noted in Japanese media for incorporating roller-skating into their stage performances.

band

band

Japanese J-pop band

≠Me (ノットイコールミー; pronounced "Not Equal Me", stylized as ≠ME), is a Japanese idol girl group that formed in early 2019. The twelve-person group is produced by former AKB48 and HKT48 member Rino Sashihara and is the sister group of =Love.

Love (イコールラブ Ikōrurabu, pronounced "equal love", stylized as LOVE) is a Japanese idol group composed of voice actors from the Yoyogi Animation Academy. The twelve-person group is produced by former AKB48 and HKT48 member Rino Sashihara and is signed under Sacra Music.