AKB48 groups pledge 500 million yen for earthquake relief + AKB48 appeals to fans for earthquake don
Members of the AKB48 idol franchise announced on Tuesday that they plan to donate 500 million yen towards the ongoing earthquake relief efforts. The group also announced yesterday that they are collecting donations from fans on behalf of the Japanese Red Cross.
The 500 million yen was gathered from the members of AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, and SDN48, as well as others who are managed by AKS and producer Akimoto Yasushi’s own agency.
AKB48 also announced on Tuesday that they are delaying the release of their album “Koko ni Ita Koto” (originally scheduled for April 6).
On Monday, idol group AKB48 updated their official blog to announce that they have opened a bank account for receiving donations for earthquake relief, which will be passed on to the Japanese Red Cross.
In the blog post, it was revealed that some of the members of the AKB48 family (which includes AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, and SDN48) were affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami. The groups felt that they wanted to do something to help all the victims of the disasters, so they decided to work with the Japanese Red Cross for accepting donations.
For those who can pay by bank transfer and would like to donate, details are available in the blog post.
Sources: 1, 2