AKB48 Group

AKB48 Group (Japanese: AKB48グループ, Chinese: AKB48集團) shortened to AKB48G, AKB Group, AKBG, refers to the sister groups of AKB48. Based on the same concept "idols you can meet", it currently consists of 5 sister groups in locations across Japan and 7 sister groups in major Asian cities overseas from Indonesia to India. The Japan-based sister groups not only release their own singles, but also perform on some of the AKB48 singles and events. They also send participants in the AKB48 annual events such as the AKB48 senbatsu election. The sister groups outside Japan release local-language versions of the AKB48 singles and original singles.

History

AKB48's first sister group, SKE48, was formed in 2008 with its theater in Sakae, Nagoya. SDN48 (Saturday Night), NMB48 (based in Namba), and HKT48 (based in Hakata) were later formed. NGT48 was launched in 2015, and is located in Niigata. STU48, the latest Japanese sister group, was announced during the AKB48 rock-paper-scissors tournament on October 10, 2016. It is based on the seven prefectures adjoining the coast of the Seto Inland (Setouchi) Sea and they will have a theater on a ship.

In 2011 AKB48's first sister group outside Japan, JKT48, was announced; the group is based in Jakarta, Indonesia. JKT48 was followed by another overseas AKB48 sister group: SNH48, based in Shanghai, China. On June 6, 2016, AKB48 announced it had suspended its partnership with SNH48 due to contract violations. Following the statement, SNH48 declared that it had been completely independent from AKB48 from the beginning and SNH48 management had never made any form of partnership with AKB48 more technical cooperation and created SNH48 Group with its own first sister groups, BEJ48 and GNZ48, later was announced SHY48 and CKG48. On October 12, 2016, AKS established AKB48 China, based in Shanghai, and named its group AKB48 Team SH.

The creation of the TPE48 was announced on October 10, 2011 in AKB48's official blog. At that time, AKS cooperated with Yoshimoto Kogyo Taipei Branch and expected to start audition work in 2012. However, the two sides failed to reach a consensus in the preparation work, and thus they were discontinued after the second half of 2012. Three new overseas sister groups were announced in March 2016: BNK48, based in Bangkok, Thailand; MNL48, based in Manila, the Philippines and TPE48, based in Taipei, Taiwan. On July 30, 2018, AKS canceled a joint venture and license agreement with TPE48's management and created AKB48 Team TP. The formation of CGM48, named after and based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as a local sister group of BNK48 was announced in Chiang Mai on 2 June 2019.

On December 27, 2017, Yui Yokoyama, the general manager of AKB48 and former captain of Team A, announced the formation of MUM48, based in Mumbai, India, in 2018, through a Showroom live broadcast. On June 19, 2019, MUB48, based on Mumbai replacing MUM48, and DEL48, based on Delhi, was announced. In October 2020, most of the members have already opened their personal Instagram account leading to rumours about disbandment. Deepak Nandal, DEL48 producer, confirmed YKBK48 has closed DEL48 and will terminate the members’ contract at the end of October due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

On June 21, 2018, AKS announced the formation of SGO48, based in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.

Current groups

Inside Japan

Group name	Color	Years active	Teams (if split)	Location
AKB48	Pink	2005 -	Team A, Team K, Team B, Team 4, Team 8, Kenkyuusei	Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan
SKE48	Orange	2008 -	Team S, Team KII, Team E, Kenkyuusei	Sakae, Nagoya, Japan
NMB48	Leopard Pattern	2010 -	Promoted members, Kenkyuusei	Namba, Osaka, Japan
HKT48	Black	2011 -	Team H, Team KIV, Team TII, Kenkyuusei	Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan
NGT48	White - Red	2015 -	1st Generation, 2nd Generation, 3rd Draft	Niigata, Niigata, Japan
STU48	Blue - White	2017 -	1st Generation, 3rd Draft, Kenkyuusei	Setouchi Region, Japan

Outside Japan

Group name	Color	Years active	Teams (if split)	Location
JKT48	Red	2011 -	JKT48	Jakarta, Indonesia
BNK48	Orchid	2017 -	Team BIII, Team NV, Trainee	Bangkok, Thailand
MNL48	Blue	2018 -	Team MII, Team NIV, Team L, Trainee	Manila, Philippines
AKB48 Team SH	Pink - White	2018 -	Team SH, Trainee	Shanghai, China
AKB48 Team TP	Mango	2018 -	Daisy, Bellflower, Sakura, Trainee	Taipei, Taiwan
SGO48	Lotus	2018 -	Trainee	Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
CGM48	Mint	2019 -	Team C, Trainee	Chiang Mai, Thailand

Former Groups

Inside Japan

Group name	Color	Years active	Teams (if split)	Location
SDN48	Silver	2009 - 2012	-	Akihabara, Japan

Outside Japan

Group name	Color	Years active	Teams (if split)	Location
DEL48	Orange - White	2019 - 2020	Trainee	Delhi, India
MUB48	Green - White	Didn't debut	-	Mumbai, India

• TPE48 (short for Taipei48) was a Taiwanese Idol Group and the 4th international sister group of AKB48. On July 30, 2018 AKS has announced that they are launching a new 48 group in Taiwan known as AKB48 Team TP and have canceled TPE48.

• MUM48 (short for Mumbai48) was a projected Indian Idol Group. The group was announced on December 27, 2017, until it was rebranded as MUB48 on June 19, 2019.

Other Groups

These groups are produced by the same company, but they are not considered part of the AKB48 Group.

• OJS48 (short for Ojisan48) was an all-male Japanese group produced by Akimoto Yasushi. All the members are former police officers and detectives from Osaka. On October 13, 2010, after releasing its first single unsuccessfully, OJS48 was disbanded in the same year that it was formed. The members now work as security guards of the japanese AKB48 Groups.

• IZONE (often stylised as IZ*ONE and pronounced as "eyes one") was a Korean-Japanese girl group formed in 2018 by CJ E&M through the Mnet television competition show Produce 48. They officially disbanded on April 29th, 2021.