Iwate Incident
During a handshake event held in Iwate on May 25, 2014, a man attacked several people with a sharp object. Two members (Kawaei Rina and Iriyama Anna), a staff member, and fans present at the event were injured. The members suffered from wounds on their hands and head and we’re taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. The man responsible for the crime was arrested on the day of the incident. On May 26th the members and the staff member were released from the hospital. The following day, Kawaei and Iriyama announced on their Google+ accounts that they were healthy and doing well. They took a break from the group. Several members also posted on their personal SNS accounts support messages for the victims.
Kawaei Rina made a special appearance at the AKB48 37th Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo, while Iriyama Anna talked to the audience through a phone. Anna later made an appearance in theater on June 30. Both continued to be active in social media and are appearing on radio and TV shows when possible.
Kawaei Rina returned to the theater on October 8th, 2014, while Iriyama Anna returned on February 13th, 2015. Iriyama Anna was still recovering from the injuries on her hand and was constantly seen wearing a glove during this time. Kawaei Rina announced her graduation on March 26th, 2015, with the Iwate Incident being one of the main reasons.
Consequences
All AKB48 activities that were planned for the final week of May were canceled, including handshake events by AKB48 and its sister groups. At the theater, metal detectors were installed and bag inspection before entering became mandatory. Changes were also made for 2-shot events. Other idol groups, such as Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku and Super☆Girls, also cancelled all of their events for the final week of May and announced they would enhance their security.
On May 30th, it was announced that all of AKB48's handshake and 2-shot photo events scheduled in June would be postponed. Neither NMB48 nor SKE48 made statements on whether or not they would sell handshake tickets in their upcoming singles, but both ultimately did. Nogizaka46 has continued their handshake events, albeit with heavily increased security. Most other non-AKB affiliated idol groups continued their handshake activities as well.
