AKB48 singer, Tomomi Kasai, 21, was depicted with a blond child cupping herself from behind in an article published in Shukan Young Magazine and now Tokyo cops are interviewing the magazine publisher citing the ‘inappropriate pose.’
Publisher Kodansha was planning to run the photograph, which came from a forthcoming book of photographs of the singer, in its weekly manga (or comic-style) magazine earlier this month.
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But that edition didn’t make it to the newsstands, and detectives were called in after concerns were raised that the picture might infringe even Japan’s notoriously lax child laws.
Tomomi Kasai is a huge star in Japan, where she has been a singer since the age of 14 and is best known for being a part of the phenomenal, 91-strong girl group AKB48.
The group – the world’s largest – is one of the highest-earning musical acts in the world and recruits new members through Pop Idol-style auditions. All the girls must be well-behaved, and they perform in a theatre every day, with tickets only available through a heavily-subscribed lottery.
Initially Kodansha said the delay in getting the magazine out was due to it containing an ‘inappropriate expression’ but police said they needed to investigate further and called staff in to be interviewed.
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