We previously announced that AKB48’s sister groups, SKE48 and JKT48, will be performing together for the first time at the Japan Expo Malaysia (JEMY) 2020.

Here are the details on Miyavi’s performance at JEMY 2020:

Date: 19 July (Sunday)

Time: 4.45pm (Malaysia Time)

JEMY 2020 is the first all-Japan virtual event in Asia. Usually the festival holds its physical edition in Kuala Lumpur but with the new normal due to the pandemic, JEMY has decided to go online this year.

It will be held from 18 to 19 July 2020 and the live streaming will take place from 10.00 am – 08.00 pm (Time zone in #Malaysia (GMT+8) on both days.

(Photo source: Miyavi’s Facebook)

After AKB48 charmed their Malaysian fans’ hearts last year at Japan Expo Malaysia 2019, now it is JKT48 and SKE48 turn to do so.

Here are the details for JKT48 and SKE48’s first performance together:

Date: 18 July 2020 (Saturday)

Time: 16:00-16:35 (Malaysia Time)

Where to stream: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/japanexpomalaysiaa/ or YouTube .

Here’s an updated schedule. Check out the full list of performers and activities at www.japanexpomalaysia.com and www.gyucreative.com.

JKT48 members who will be performing are:

1. Feni Fitriyanti (Team J)

2. Fransisca Saraswati (Team J)

3. M. G. Desy (Team KIII)

4. Shani Indira (Team KIII)

5. Shania Gracia (Team KIII)

6. Tan Zhi Hui Celine (Team J)

TheHIVE.Asia, as an official media partner for JEMY 2020, got the chance to interview two of the bubbly JKT48 members. (By the way, if you missed it, here’s our interview with SKE48 too!)

Fans can tell just how energetic and fun their performance will be (especially if they ever get to come and perform live in Malaysia) based on their lively answers below!

TheHive.Asia: This is your first time performing together with SKE48, how do you feel about that?

Shani: I am both proud and happy that we get to perform in a collaboration with SKE48 in such a great and huge event!

Feni: We have previously announced that we will do some collaboration project with SKE48, but these circumstances force us to postpone them. I hope that this performance will kickstart our plans! Please look forward for information regarding our next project!

Shani: Yes! And with this performance we hope that even though we are apart, our energy will reach you, and on the other hand we will receive your love and support!

This time you’ll only be performing virtually but if you get the chance, would you like to come perform a concert in Malaysia? What songs do you think you would sing at a Malaysian concert?

Shani: We would love to! We would also love to greet our fans and meet new people in Malaysia! We will make the presence of JKT48 known and loved by the world!

Feni: Yes! And for the songs… I would love to perform “Rapsodi” (JKT48’s first original song). I really love the song, and since I believe that Malaysians and Indonesians have a lot in common, you might love this song as much as I do. “RIVER” will also be a nice choice because it is so uplifting and a good song to be performed.

You perform songs by AKB48 and your other sister groups that are translated into Indonesian, have you ever gotten to perform any of the original songs in Japanese? If yes, how was that like?

Shani: Yes, we have! The words are hard to memorise; I have to listen to the song a dozen times! 

Feni: It’s an interesting experience. I have no basic skills in Japanese, so in a way it became a challenge for me.

Congratulations on your first original single “Rapsodi” that was released earlier this year, can fans look forward to more original songs from JKT48?

Shani: We’d love to!  

Feni: We will present another great song for all of you, so please support us!

Aside from singing, some of you also act in movies. Will anyone star in any new movie soon?

Shani: Sisca from Team J, our friend from the third generation, is starring in a movie entitled “Sobat Ambyar”. Don’t miss it!

We only have Shani and Feni here but don’t forget to catch the rest of the idol group when JKT48 performs with SKE48 at JEMY 2020!

Following in the footsteps of their senpai AKB48, Nagoya-based SKE48 and Jakarta-based JKT48 are next in line to charm the socks off their Malaysian fans. 

Japan Expo Malaysia (JEMY) 2020 will be held from 18 to 19 July.

Here are the details for SKE48 and JKT48’s first performance together:

Date: 18 July 2020 (Saturday)

Time: 16:00-16:35 (Malaysia Time)

The full list of performers and activities can be found at www.japanexpomalaysia.com and www.gyucreative.com.

SKE48 members who would be performing are:

1. Ruka Inoue (Team S)

2. Yuki Arai (Team KII)

3. Yuna Ego (Team KII)

4. Nao Furuhata (Team KII)

5. Haruka Kumazaki (Team E)

6. Kaho Sato (Team E)

After performing, SKE48 will take part in an exclusive online Meet & Greet with their fans! 

It will also be on this Saturday, 17:00-17:40 (Malaysia Time), via Zoom. Tickets, priced at RM80 each, are available for purchase on https://www.eventpop.me/e/9219 until this 15 July at 23.59 (Malaysia Time).

Don’t miss this chance to meet & greet your favourite idols!

As the official media partner for JEMY 2020, we at TheHIVE.Asia had a chance to interview the kawaii SKE48 members.

Judging from the answers, we can tell that they are very excited to perform at JEMY 2020!

TheHive.Asia: This is your first time performing together with JKT48, how do you feel about that?

Nao Furuhata: I’m so happy to have this opportunity as we don’t have any chance to be on the stage together or accomplish something together.

This time you’ll only be performing virtually but if you get the chance, would you like to come perform a concert in Malaysia? What songs do you think you would sing at a Malaysian concert?

Yuki Arai: Of course!  If I have the chance, I’d love to be on the stage in Malaysia! As I saw before that JKT48 performed “Pareo Wa Emerald”, I truly wish we could perform it together someday!!

Yuna Ego: Of course, I wanted to be excited together over our live performance in Malaysia.  However, I trust we should be able to send our energy and smile virtually over video as well.  Within our SKE48 single ‘1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!’, you can scream across the music and it is an amusing song, I’m sure those who’d see our SKE performance for the first time would enjoy and get excited.  I’d love to sing in Malaysia someday!

Last year, AKB48 came to perform in Malaysia. Did they share with you about their experience performing for Malaysian fans?

Nao Furuhata: As there was no chance to talk to them, I don’t have any experience shared by AKB48.  However, as their performance last year seems to be fun and exciting, I also wanted to perform in front of the local fans in Malaysia.  Although it is a shame not to be able to do so physically, I’m glad to be able to send my feelings and messages in a different style of performance.

Haruka Kumazaki: I had no chance to communicate directly with them so far, but reviewing their exciting scenes on video, photos and SNS, I was really looking forward to this opportunity.  Knowing that many of those fans in Malaysia are hot, I really wanted to see them physically.

Ruka Inoue: As our activities are conducted in different areas, we hardly see each other.  However, I reviewed their performance on YouTube, where amazing number of audiences – up to the higher floors in the venue – were shown.  As music selections being performed by AKB48 are exciting and well known by people in overseas, I found their level of excitement is great.

Kaho Sato: As we hardly see or talk to AKB48, I have not got to share their experiences so far.  When I reviewed SNS however, as many Malaysian fans were cheering for them, I thought it must have been fun!

Yuna Ego: Although I never had the chance to share experiences directly with AKB48, as I found their performance was really fun, I’m very happy to be able to have SKE48 join as well.

Yuki Arai: Not directly, though I reviewed their performance via SNS.  As some members from the same period as I am also performed last year, I was really envious of them!

Say something to your Malaysian fans to encourage them to come watch your live performances in Nagoya (once Malaysians are allowed to travel abroad again).

Haruka Kumazaki: When you say SKE48, hot performance is expected there! Knowing that there are many hot fans in Malaysia, I already feel happy just imagining when we may perform together. We have many tasty foods to offer in Nagoya. Once Malaysian people can start travelling over to Japan, I wish they could fully enjoy Nagoya, including yummy food and live performance by SKE48.

It will be a while before Malaysian fans can travel to Nagoya to catch SKE48 performing live but in the meantime, fans can tune in to the group’s joint virtual concert with JKT48 at JEMY 2020!

Last year fans were treated to a lively stage by one of Japan’s biggest idol groups, AKB48. This year they’re going to get double the dose of “kawaii!” with AKB48’s sister groups SKE48 and JKT48!

Dubbed JEMY 2020 Goes Virtual, which will be held from 18 to 19 July, the event is all about creating history as the first all-Japan virtual event in Asia. In line with this, the two groups’ joint concert will be held on a virtual platform.

Fans can look forward to a fun bilingual stage from the two groups. SKE48, currently under Avex Group, is AKB48’s first sister group with a record sale of 11 million CDs in Japan and performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae. Meanwhile, JKT48 is based in Jakarta and performs songs by AKB48 and other sister groups that are translated to Indonesian.

Aside from the performance by the two idol groups, the live virtual concert will also include stages by the artistes below and a slew of other fun activities! 

Singer-actor Naomichi Hanazono is all set to spread the culture of traditional Japanese dance by combining it with modern performances in his own unique style. 

Root Five, the famous vocal group from Nico Nico Douga, will not only perform but also hold an exclusive online meet & greet with fans. Tickets are now available at www.eventpop.me. The ticket sale will end on 14 July 2020 at 00.59 am.

In a collaboration with Sumida Jazz Festival, JEMY will entertain the Jazz lovers in the crowd with performances by Japanese Jazz Funk band Ricky with FSP, led by saxophonist Ricky.

Japanese singer-songwriter Himika Natsume will also be performing her songs at the virtual concert!

Don’t miss out on the live performances by Greg and KAZ from the Japanese duo 0TU1! Their music will get fans dancing along with them.

Since JEMY 2020 is a virtual event, it’s also the perfect platform to host a meet-up with Mea Hoshino, the virtual YouTuber represented by a digital avatar that’s generated by computer graphics.

Cosplayer fans will also have the virtual Cosplay Parade to look forward to. They just have to dress up in their best cosplay looks and join the parade on 19 July that will be led by famous cosplayers! Let’s Act!

For the full list of performers and activities, check out https://www.facebook.com/japanexpomalaysiaa/ or visit www.japanexpomalaysia.com and www.gyucreative.com 

Normally held as a large-scale event in Kuala Lumpur, this year’s Japan Expo Malaysia (JEMY) will be a little different than previous editions.

“In line with [the] government’s call to embrace the new normal and maintain social distancing, JEMY 2020 is set to go online to ensure [the] safety of our exhibitors, artistes, staff and visitors,” said Yupharet Eakturapakal, the CEO of G-Yu Creative Co.,Ltd., in a press statement.

JEMY 2020 is scheduled to be held on 18 and 19 July.

Good news for J-pop fans, JEMY will still include performances by Japanese artistes. These will be broadcast live on JEMY’s YouTube – for free! 

There will also be remote meet and greet sessions with the artistes, though these will of course require a certain cost.

The expo, which will be broadcast live on JEMY’s Facebook and Youtube pages, will also include a 15-minute live stream slot for exhibitors. Buyers, meanwhile, will have the option of communicating directly with exhibitors on their official website or other platforms that are convenient for both parties.

The online international trade provides a platform of quality and specialty products that covers 6 major categories, which include anime, art & fashion, F& B, travel, and education.

Exhibitors have until this 20 June to register their interest to participate. More info on JEMY 2020 can be found on www.gyucreative.com and www.japanexpomalaysia.com. 

Ever since their conception 14 years ago, Japanese idol girl group AKB48 has continued to grow in both popularity and number of sister groups. They’ve visited and performed in various countries, but they have yet to do so in Malaysia – until recently.

Megu Taniguchi, Rin Okabe, Yui Oguri, Mion Mukaichi, Nana Okada and Nagisa Sakaguchi greeted their fans enthusiastically at their first ever performance in the country during the recently-held Japan Expo Malaysia 2019.

Prior to their live performance at Pavilion KL’s centre stage, where fans had been waiting for them patiently for hours, the girls first met with the media at the adjacent hotel.

Dressed in schoolgirl-like uniforms, the girls answered each of the question with ease, with the lively Mion doing the most talking while the others chipped in from time to time. The girls stated that they were happy to finally be able to come to Malaysia, adding, “If everyone can come, it will be the best!”

This was referring to the fact that only the six of them were present, out of the current more than a hundred members of the large group.

While everyone wanted to come to Malaysia, regrettably they don’t get to decide this on their own, since the performing members are usually picked based on their popularity in the country they’re visiting.

A giant billboard welcome the girls to Bukit Bintang (Photo source: Japan Expo Malaysia 2019).

Known to be an idol group that uses the rare concept of graduation, that is new members will step in so their number will never dwindle despite older members graduating from time to time, the girls said that they will continue to build on the foundation that their seniors have established over the years.

However, they added that at the same time, they want to challenge themselves with something new so that they can give off a fresher image and will be able to pass down their seniors’ legacy as well as theirs to the upcoming newer generations. 

When asked if they remain close with the seniors who have graduated, they named the likes of Yui Yokoyama and Yuki Kashiwagi among those they keep in touch with and turn to for advice on how to carry out their duties as singers, emcees, actors and more.

AKB48 performing in the midst of the crowd as they descended the stairs to the main stage (Photo source: Japan Expo Malaysia 2019).

As the girls were in Malaysia for an event that focuses on fostering the love for all things Japanese, they also expressed that they were happy to see people outside of their country loving Japan as much as they do.

During the interview, the girls mentioned that overseas fans’ reactions during their performances vary from those of Japanese fans’. While Japanese fans will chant and scream back certain phrases (an act referred to as ‘mix’), overseas fans tend to sing along with them instead. They said that since this was their first time performing in Malaysia, they were looking forward to what the local fans would do.

Look at the sea of fans – and their phones.

Well, it was a combination of both ‘mix’ and singing along (fanboys could be seen enthusiastically dancing along, too) but largely, the fans were more interested in capturing the moment on camera, as the packed crowd had their phones raised high the entire performance to record and take photos of the girls. 

With the warm welcome AKB48 received in Malaysia, fans can hope for more members of the group to visit and for them to even possibly hold their own concert in the country!

Update 7 June: As promised, here is the list of AKB48 members that will be performing in Malaysia this month: Nana Okada, Rin Okabe, Mion Mukaichi, Megu Taniguchi, Yui Oguri and Nagisa Sakaguchi!

[Below is the original news posted 31 May]

Kawaii desu! That’s definitely one phrase you won’t stop saying the moment you see Japanese idol group AKB48 live in person.

For Malaysian fans, your dream to see these cute singers live is finally coming true – and it won’t cost you a single cent!

Well, by this we mean their concert this July is set to be held free for the public.

You didn’t read that wrong, AKB48’s debut performance in Malaysia will be completely free. Not only that, you might even stand a chance to join the girl group for exclusive activities on stage! Visit https://www.facebook.com/japanexpomalaysiaa/ for upcoming info on how to join.

AKB48’s free concert in Malaysia will be held at:

Venue: Pavilion KL 

Date: 27 July 2019 (Saturday)

Time: 10.00am – 10.00pm

Members that will be attending the concert will be announced soon.

Being Japan’s biggest girl group (and we don’t mean just the number of members), plenty of fans have been waiting for them to visit Malaysia. Thanks to G-Yu Creative Co Ltd and Siam Connection Sdn Bhd, the concert will be held in conjunction with “Japan Expo Malaysia 2019”, which is taking place from 27 to 29 July 2019.

Formed in 2005, the popularity of the Akihabara-based idol group has spawned several sister groups in other parts of Japan as well as in other countries like China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Stay tuned for updates on which AKB48 members will be performing at the concert. Announcement will be made on Friday, 7 June 2019.