So, ex-basketball players? Or what?
48 original members, up to 140 now... with spinoff groups (of 48 members each) in several Japanese other cities now. The first non-Japanese group is JKT48, in Jakarta. The second will be in Shanghai (SNH48). It’s the “idols you can meet” concept... and they’re churning out singles and records that are hitting the charts with great frequency. The AKB48 is made about $220 million in sales last year.