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Keyakizaka46 Idol Group Members' Nazi-Like Costumes Raise Eyebrows
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Keyakizaka46 is a sister idol group of Nogizaka46, which is in turn a spinoff "rival" group of the popular AKB48. Their relation to the popular idol groups isn't what's getting attention on the internet though, it's the group's recent off-color costume choices.
Keyakizaka46 held a concert at Yokohama Arena on October 22 called "Perfect Halloween." During the show, the idols (ranging in age from 15-21) wore military-style black dresses, black silver-buttoned capes, and matching hats with bird insignia. Angry observers quickly took to social media to point out the stylistic similarities between the costumes and Nazi Waffen-SS uniforms.
One Twitter user, @batayanF3, wrote: "Just because you didn't know or because you don't praise Nazis doesn't mean you can do these kinds of things. It's unforgivable considering how influential they are as talents."
Foreign publications picked up on the story including tabloids Daily Mail and Daily Mirror.
Keyakizaka46 may not have grabbed Western fans yet, but their popularity in Japan is swelling. The group's single "Silent Majority" topped Oricon Daily Single CD Ranking and the Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales chart. It sold roughly 260,000 copies during its first week of release in April.
Keyakizaka46 producer Yasushi Akimoto is a member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee executive board. Yahoo News! freelance journalist Rei Shiva commented that culturally insensitive performances by major musical acts could cause problems for the upcoming event.
As a former ally of Nazi Germany and given the absence of a significant Jewish population, Japan has generally taken a less critical or serious view of Nazi misdeeds. A manga version of Mein Kampf sold relatively well in 2009, and thinly veiled portrayals of Hitler appear in popular culture from time to time. The fan anime Moe Moe Nazis Shōjo Goeppels-chan ("Moe Moe Nazi Girl Goeppels-chan") attempted to crowdfunded their fan animation starring Geri Goeppels, a 14-year-old moe girl version of Joseph Goebbels. They used Hatsune Miku to sing the opening song, "Kokkashakaishugi no Uta" ("The National Socialism Song"), in which the famous Vocaloid singer extols Nazism as "rational" and denounces Communism as "scary."
Source: Daisuke Kikuchi at The Japan Times
