Outcry over Japan’s ‘vicious’ idol industry after NGT48 singer Maho Yamaguchi’s assault allegations go unresolved

The 23-year-old went public in January with claims she had been attacked at her home by two men who said they got her address from a bandmate

But after an internal investigation, her management agency says it can find no evidence that any member of the group was involved

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Published: 5:00pm, 25 Mar 2019Updated: 10:38pm, 25 Mar 2019

Japanese social media has been ablaze in recent days with outrage at the perceived failure of the country’s music industry and police to properly investigate an alleged assault on a member of a popular girl band.

Maho Yamaguchi, a 23-year-old singer with NGT48, went public in January with allegations that she had been grabbed near her home by two men in December.

In a video live-stream, she told fans that the two men had entered her home, covered her mouth and tackled her to the ground before she managed to get away.

The men – who have not been named – were later detained but denied carrying out the assault, telling police they had merely tried to talk with the pop star.

Questions were raised over how the men had found out Yamaguchi’s home address and schedule. According to her account, one of them told her that a bandmate of hers had given them the information.

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But on Friday, music management agency AKS – which represents the group – said at a press conference that it had found no evidence of this after concluding an internal investigation.