KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Popular Japanese idol group AKB48 marked another memorable return to Kuala Lumpur after headlining the Japan Malaysia Expo 2026 (JEMY 2026).

The group delivered an energetic performance at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Saturday and debuted its latest single, Sukisshu, ‘live’ for the first time ahead of its official release in Japan on August 19.

The Akihabara-based act, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest pop group and currently boasting more than 40 active members, brought six performers to JEMY 2026.

They included senior members Narumi Kuranoo and Miu Shitao, who previously performed in Kuala Lumpur in 2024, alongside younger members from AKB48’s 17th and 18th generations: Sae Arai, Airi Sato, Azuki Yagi and Yuna Akiyama.

Ahead of the show, the members told local media at a press conference that some were excited to return to Malaysia, while others were thrilled to be making their debut here.

They also opened up about AKB48’s current ambitions and shared some of their personal goals.

The Tokyo Dome dream

“As a group, we want to someday perform at the Tokyo Dome. It’s pretty much the pinnacle for artists in Japan,” said current AKB48 leader Narumi Kuranoo.

The Tokyo Dome is Japan’s largest indoor stadium, with a capacity of about 55,000, and is located just 1,830 metres from the AKB48 Theatre.

“It’s not like we want to go over our seniors or senpais or anything, but we want to try that with our current members now, to reach that top level, the Tokyo Dome level, as a group,” she said.

Since its formation in 2005, AKB48 has staged 10 standalone performances at the Tokyo Dome during its peak era between 2012 and 2014. Its most recent performance at the venue was held in August 2014.

Personal goals

Sharing her personal ambitions, 20-year-old Sae Arai said she had been translating some of AKB48’s songs into English and hoped to help international fans better understand the group’s music.

Airi Sato, 22, who is also an aspiring actress, hopes to star in a blockbuster movie one day.

Narumi, 25, said her immediate goal was to become the best leader she could be and take AKB48 to the highest level possible.

Miu Shitao, another senior member who debuted in 2014 through the group’s Team 8 line-up, said she felt a responsibility as a senpai to look after AKB48’s younger generation.

Yuna Akiyama, a member of AKB48’s 18th generation, said that while her main focus remained on the group, she also wanted to continue practising her basketball skills as a fan of the sport.

Meanwhile, fellow 18th-generation member Azuki Yagi hopes to expand AKB48’s reach around the world.

“As an AKB48 member, we all know that our seniors and other members in the past have created a lot of legendary songs such as Fortune Cookie and Heavy Rotation.

“We would also want to be able to create that kind of impact or become a legend in the entertainment industry.

“After an online fan meeting recently, I realised that we have a lot of international fans, and seeing this as a potential, I am going to try harder to spread AKB’s music to the world,” Azuki said.

A breakthrough with Sukisshu

Although AKB48 maintains a steady release schedule of two to three singles a year, its latest track, Sukisshu, is shaping up to be a fresh breakthrough for the group.

It became AKB48’s fastest music video to reach one million views in recent years and surpassed three million views faster than any of the group’s singles released over the past two years.

Featuring an Eighties-inspired Showa-pop synth sound mixed with AKB48’s signature energy, the Sukisshu music video attracted more than four million views on YouTube within 10 days.

“As most of you know, we just had our 20th anniversary last year, and being around that long and still getting this much attention on the MV really means a lot to us.

“For us, this is like a motivation and energy for us to keep moving forward, and it drives us to keep wanting to try harder,” Narumi said.

Named after Tokyo’s Akihabara district, AKB48 was established around the concept of “idols you can meet”. The group stages almost daily performances at its dedicated theatre, allowing fans to attend intimate ‘live’ shows and interact closely with its members.

Its innovative fan-engagement model has since inspired numerous sister groups in Japan and around the world.

These include Malaysia’s KLP48, which opened its own theatre at LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre last year, and Indonesia’s JKT48.

AKB48 is also preparing for another milestone with the multi-part AKB48 Three Concept Live concert series at K-Arena Yokohama in Kanagawa, Japan, on September 26 and 27.