Japanese idol#1980–1990: Golden Age of Idols

An idol is a type of entertainer whose image is manufactured to cultivate a dedicated consumer fan following. Talent agencies commercialize idols by recruiting preteens and teenagers with little or no experience in the entertainment industry, and market them as aspiring stars.{{cite news | first=Justin | last=Sevakis | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-07-24/.90830 | title=Why Can't Idol Singers Have Lives of Their Own? | work=Anime News Network | date=2015-07-24 | access-date=2019-03-05 | archive-date=30 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130104614/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-07-24/.90830 | url-status=live }} Idols are marketed for their image, attractiveness, and personalities.{{cite book|title=The Mirror of Idols and Celebrity|last1=Galbraith|first1=Patrick W.|last2=Karlin|first2=Jason G.|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan Limited|year=2012|isbn=9781137283788|location=New York}}{{rp|6–7}} An idol's main objective is to "sell dreams", offering fans a form of escapism from the troubles of daily life. Idols are predominantly singers, but are also often trained in acting, dancing, and modeling.{{cite news | url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/03/living/the-mystique-of-the-japanese-male-idol/index.html | title=The mystique of the Japanese male idol | publisher=CNN | date=2012-05-03 | access-date=2019-02-06 | archive-date=7 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020421/https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/03/living/the-mystique-of-the-japanese-male-idol/index.html | url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Aoyagi |first=Hiroshi |date=2005-07-15 |title=Islands of Eight Million Smiles: Idol Performance and Symbolic Production in Contemporary Japan |location=Massachusetts |publisher=Harvard University Asia Center | isbn=9780674017733 }}{{cite book|title=Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture|last1=Galbraith|first1=Patrick W.|last2=Karlin|first2=Jason G.|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan Limited|date=2012-08-31|isbn=9780230298309|location=New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X4uk9vgoyDcC|access-date=3 October 2016|archive-date=4 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504201908/https://books.google.com/books?id=X4uk9vgoyDcC|url-status=live}}{{cite book|title=Japanese Popular Music: Culture, Authenticity and Power|last=Stevens|first=Carolyn S.|publisher=Routledge|date=2007-08-22|isbn=9780415492218|location=United Kingdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OHMkdcL9DAMC&q=idols&pg=PA158|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=30 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430124836/https://books.google.com/books?id=OHMkdcL9DAMC&q=idols&pg=PA158|url-status=live}}{{cite book |last=Edgington |first=David W. |date=2003-04-01 |title=Japan at the Millennium: Joining Past and Future |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=El9Lj_EKzBAC |location=Canada |publisher=UBC Press |isbn=9780774808989 |access-date=1 September 2017 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127230031/https://books.google.com/books?id=El9Lj_EKzBAC |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Hoover |first=William D. |date=2011-03-18 |title=Historical Dictionary of Postwar Japan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrWAoxzNzRMC&pg=PA202 | location=Maryland |publisher=Scarecrow Press | page=202 | isbn=9780810854604 }}{{cite news | first=Minoru | last=Matsutani | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/08/25/reference/pop-idol-phenomenon-fades-into-dispersion/#.XF3dH-TsaUk | title=Pop 'idol' phenomenon fades into dispersion | work=The Japan Times | date=2009-08-25 | access-date=2019-02-08 | archive-date=8 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108013440/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/08/25/reference/pop-idol-phenomenon-fades-into-dispersion/#.XF3dH-TsaUk | url-status=live }} This style of recruiting and training was pioneered by Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny & Associates, and has since been used in other pop idol industries such as Korean idols in K-pop.{{cite news | first=Naomi | last=Gingold | url=https://www.npr.org/2019/01/08/683339743/why-the-blueprint-for-k-pop-actually-came-from-japan | title=Why The Blueprint For K-Pop Actually Came From Japan | work=National Public Radio | date=2019-01-08 | access-date=2020-03-22 | archive-date=13 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513065437/https://www.npr.org/2019/01/08/683339743/why-the-blueprint-for-k-pop-actually-came-from-japan | url-status=live }}

Idols often spend time isolated from family and friends while enduring busy work schedules,{{cite news | first=Justin | last=Sevakis | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2018-09-03/.136196 | title=Why Isn't Idol Culture Bigger in America? | work=Anime News Network | date=2018-09-03 | access-date=2019-03-22 | archive-date=22 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322160812/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2018-09-03/.136196 | url-status=live }} with some agencies withholding job assignments from their talents and notifying them of work on short notice to prevent them from taking time off. Some talent agencies do not rigorously train their idols and market them as amateurs who will gain experience over the course of their careers and with support from their fans.{{cite news | last=Park | first=Jin-hai | url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2018/07/688_251649.html | title=Why Japanese idol trainees lag behind Koreans | work=The Korea Times | date=2018-07-03 | access-date=2019-02-11 | archive-date=12 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212000912/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2018/07/688_251649.html | url-status=live }} Despite being trained in multiple roles in entertainment, idols in Japan are not expected to meet the high standards of performances that professionals in their fields do. Because of their manufactured image, idols are generally not regarded as authentic artists.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b0Wrsu0LHtoC&pg=PA65 | title=Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan | editor=William W. Kelly | location=New York | isbn=9780791460320 | publisher=Suny Press | date=2004-07-15 | page=65 | access-date=3 October 2016 | archive-date=9 July 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709022721/http://books.google.com/books?id=b0Wrsu0LHtoC&pg=PA65 | url-status=live }} Likewise, many young Japanese artists pursuing careers in acting or music reject the idol label in their bid to be seen as professionals.{{cite web|url=http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFK3000U_Q1A131C1000000/?df=2|script-title=ja:戦隊モノ、アイドル...、グループにおける色と役割の関係|work=Nikkei Business Publications|date=2011-12-05|access-date=16 July 2015|archive-date=15 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715153000/http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFK3000U_Q1A131C1000000/?df=2|url-status=live}}

Music from idol singers is generally categorized under J-pop,{{cite web|url=http://www.ru.emb-japan.go.jp/ABOUT/CULTURE_ABOUT/pop.html|trans-title=Culture - Music - Popular Music|script-title=ru:Культура - Музыка - Популярная музыка|publisher=Embassy of Japan to Russia|language=ru|access-date=16 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624121603/http://www.ru.emb-japan.go.jp/ABOUT/CULTURE_ABOUT/pop.html|archive-date=24 June 2013|url-status=dead}} though talent agencies may label them under the sub-genre "idol pop" for further distinction.{{cite book |last=Craig |first=Timothy |date=2000-05-02 |title=Japan Pop: Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwJw1q0unYAC&q=idol |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780765605610 |access-date=1 November 2020 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127230046/https://books.google.com/books?id=xwJw1q0unYAC&q=idol |url-status=live }}{{cite web | first=Abigail | last=Covington | url=https://www.avclub.com/unraveling-a-fantasy-a-beginner-s-guide-to-japanese-id-1798270934 | title=Unraveling a fantasy: A beginner's guide to Japanese idol pop | work=The A.V. Club | date=2014-07-18 | access-date=2020-08-25 | archive-date=28 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928074312/https://music.avclub.com/unraveling-a-fantasy-a-beginner-s-guide-to-japanese-id-1798270934 | url-status=live }} Many idol singers find success as groups rather than individually. Within each idol group, the members are sometimes given distinct roles. One example of a role is the center, who occupies the center position in the group's choreography and thus receives the most focus.{{cite news | url=https://news.dwango.jp/idol/18172-1609 | title=アイドルが目指すセンターとは何なのか？ | language=ja | work=Dwango | publisher=Kadokawa Corporation | date=2016-09-25 | access-date=2021-05-14 | archive-date=14 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514183422/https://news.dwango.jp/idol/18172-1609 | url-status=live }} Another example is the leader, usually relegated to the oldest or most experienced member in the group, who acts as an intermediary for the members and the staff.{{cite news | url=https://ddnavi.com/news/274271/a/ | title=AKB48高橋みなみが語る、「リーダー」と「アイドル」とは？ | language=ja | work=Da Vinci News | publisher=Kadokawa Corporation | date=2015-12-10 | access-date=2021-05-14 | archive-date=14 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514191642/https://ddnavi.com/news/274271/a/ | url-status=live }}

Idols are seen as role models to the public, and their personal lives and image can sometimes be tightly controlled by their talent agencies. Common restrictions include not being allowed to smoke or drink in public, or pursue romantic relationships.

File:AKB48 at the 2010 Asia Song Festival (2).jpg (pictured 2010) popularized stylized school uniforms as costumes.]]

Idols generally perform in elaborate costumes for specific performances.{{cite news | first=Haruna | last=Yamazaki | url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jp/harunayamazaki/akb48-costume-01 | title=AKB48が作った"アイドルらしさ"とは？ 歴代衣装を振り返る | language=ja | work=Buzzfeed Japan | date=2017-04-05 | access-date=7 October 2021 | archive-date=14 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214142017/https://www.buzzfeed.com/jp/harunayamazaki/akb48-costume-01 | url-status=live }} Costumes are created for each song in their promotion cycle, as well as graduation events, and some groups have their own in-house costume designer. AKB48, in particular, has had over 1,102 costumes created for the group since 2017. The outfits worn by female idols are generally described as "cute",{{cite news | first=Sae | last=Kimura | url=https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20140904-a520/ | title=日本の女性アイドルの衣装ってかわいい? - 日本在住の外国人に聞いてみた! | language=ja | work={{ill|My Navi News|ja|マイナビニュース}} | date=2014-09-04 | access-date=7 October 2021 | archive-date=7 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007054503/https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20140904-a520/ | url-status=live }} while outfits worn by male idols are described as "cool."{{cite news | first=Sae | last=Kimura | url=https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20140905-a575/ | title=日本の男性アイドルの衣装はかっこいい? - 日本在住の外国人に聞いてみた! | language=ja | work={{ill|My Navi News|ja|マイナビニュース}} | date=2014-09-05 | access-date=7 October 2021 | archive-date=7 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007054503/https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20140905-a575/ | url-status=live }}

Among many idol groups, school uniforms have been used as a standard costume.{{cite news | first=Hiroyuki | last=Tanaka | url=https://www.vip-times.co.jp/advanceinfo/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%83%89%E3%83%AB%E3%81%AE%E8%A1%A3%E8%A3%85%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E5%88%B6%E6%9C%8D%E3%81%B5%E3%81%86%E8%A1%A3%E8%A3%85/1 | title=アイドルの衣装のスタンダード"制服ふう"衣装、いつから始まった！？ | language=ja | work=Nihon Tarento Meikan | date=2017-08-29 | access-date=7 October 2021 | archive-date=7 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007054508/https://www.vip-times.co.jp/advanceinfo/%e3%82%a2%e3%82%a4%e3%83%89%e3%83%ab%e3%81%ae%e8%a1%a3%e8%a3%85%e3%81%ae%e3%82%b9%e3%82%bf%e3%83%b3%e3%83%80%e3%83%bc%e3%83%89%e5%88%b6%e6%9c%8d%e3%81%b5%e3%81%86%e8%a1%a3%e8%a3%85/ | url-status=live }} The integration of school uniforms in the idol industry originated from Onyanko Club, who debuted in 1985 with a concept based on school. Following their disbandment in 1987, other groups began adopting school uniforms as costumes, such as CoCo and Ribbon, two groups put together by Fuji TV's audition programs, followed by {{ill|Seifuku Kōjō Iinkai|ja|制服向上委員会}} in 1992 and Morning Musume in the early 2000s. When AKB48 debuted in 2006, the group used a school concept and the members have performed in various stylized costumes based on school uniforms. Since then, other groups have used stylized school uniforms as costumes, such as AKB48's sister groups, Sakura Gakuin, and Sakurazaka46, with some modifications to suit the groups' image and choreography.

In 2017, Nihon Tarento Meikan noted that stylized school uniforms being used as costumes gained popularity through AKB48 due to their unique designs, the short skirts, and the neatness of the uniform. The uniforms found popularity with men, as they represent their "eternal longing" and nostalgia for high school, while only gaining popularity with women in the 2010s through anime.

Idols are typically expected to change careers after aging out of the industry, with female idols typically changing careers at age 25 and male idols at ages 30–45.{{cite news | first=Kyotaro | last=Shibutani | url=https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/article?a=20190309-00014662-jprime-ent | title=錦戸亮も脱退か、男性アイドルの「賞味期限」と「定年適齢期」 | language=ja | work=Jujo Prime | via=Yahoo! News Japan | date=2019-03-09 | access-date=2019-03-22 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330093423/https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/article?a=20190309-00014662-jprime-ent | archive-date=30 March 2019 | url-status=dead }} Idols who leave a group are often given a farewell concert known as {{nihongo|"graduations"|卒業式|sotsugyō-shiki}}.{{cite news | first=Kim | last=Morissy | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-01-27/keyakizaka46-member-yurina-hirate-leaves-group-following-health-issues/.155767 | title=Keyakizaka46 Member Yurina Hirate Leaves Group Following Health Issues | work=Anime News Network | date=2020-01-27 | access-date=2020-07-11 | archive-date=12 March 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312001432/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-01-27/keyakizaka46-member-yurina-hirate-leaves-group-following-health-issues/.155767 | url-status=live }} The term originated from the idol group Onyanko Club, as the group's youthful concept drew similarities to an after-school club, and the fact that Miharu Nakajima's final single before retirement was released around graduation season in Japan.{{cite news | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/48651/ | title=女性アイドル界から減少する「解散」 「卒業制度」がもたらした変化とは？ | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2016-02-03 | access-date=2020-07-11 | archive-date=17 October 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017092542/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/48651/ | url-status=live }} Prior to the 1980s, the terms "retirement" and "disbandment" were used. "Graduation" saw usage again in the 1990s during the revival of idol groups when Tsunku, who produced the group Morning Musume, used the term as a euphemism regarding one of the members leaving the group. An idol having a "graduation" ceremony is seen more favorably than terminating a contract or voluntarily withdrawing, as the latter two terms are negatively connoted with scandals.{{cite news | first=Takashi | last=Oshima | url=https://www.j-cast.com/2020/01/25377988.html | title=アイドル「脱退」「卒業」の20年史 いかに表現が変わっていったか | language=ja | work=J-Cast | date=2020-01-25 | access-date=2020-07-22 | archive-date=23 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723004918/https://www.j-cast.com/2020/01/25377988.html | url-status=live }}

The diversity of Japan's idol industry has created several sub-category markets, each with a specific concept appealing to certain audiences.{{cite magazine | first=Masayoshi | last=Sakai | url=https://www.japanpolicyforum.jp/society/pt20160407013017.html | title=特集 アイドルが輝いていたところ アイドル国家日本の成長とアイドルの奇跡 | trans-title=When Idols Shone Brightly: Development of Japan, the Idol Nation, and the Trajectory of Idols | magazine=Chūō Kōron | publisher=Chuokoron-Shinsha | pages=142–151 | date=May 2015 | access-date=2021-05-13 | archive-date=13 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513205227/https://www.japanpolicyforum.jp/society/pt20160407013017.html | url-status=live }}

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| image1 = 柳川みあ（竜王撮影会）.jpg

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| caption1 = {{ill|Mia Yanagawa|ja|柳川みあ}} (pictured 2019) is a gravure idol, appearing in pin-up style pictorials.

| image2 = Mikami Yua to K-POP CIMG6989.jpg

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| caption2 = Yua Mikami (pictured 2019), an AV idol, both appears in adult videos and performs as an idol.

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• {{nihongo|AV idols|AV アイドル|AV aidoru}}: AV (adult video) idols generally refer to pornographic actresses and models, with the industry first emerging in the 1980s.{{cite book|first1=Brian|last1=Ashcraft|first2=Shoko|last2=Ueda|title=Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fdHZAwAAQBAJ&q=%22AV+idols.%22&pg=PT68|date=13 May 2014|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|isbn=978-1-4629-1409-8|pages=68–|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=27 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127230045/https://books.google.com/books?id=fdHZAwAAQBAJ&q=%22AV+idols.%22&pg=PT68|url-status=live}}
• {{nihongo|{{ill|Bandol (music)|lt=Bandols|ja|バンドル (アイドル)}}|バンドル|Bandoru}}: Bandols are idol groups that play instruments and perform as bands. The term first emerged in the 2000s as a shortening of the phrase, {{nihongo|"a new genre of neither bands nor idols"|バンドでもないアイドルでもない新ジャンル|Bando demo nai aidoru demo nai arata janru}}, which was used to describe the marketing concept of the band Zone.{{cite news | url=https://natalie.mu/music/column/438926 | title=20年後の8月 また出会えるのを信じて――ZONEのヒットの裏側と、短くも濃密な活動の記録 | trans-title="I believe we'll meet again, 20 years later in August": the lining of Zone's hits and record of their brief but rich activities | language=ja | work=Natalie | access-date=26 October 2021 | archive-date=23 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023021206/https://natalie.mu/music/column/438926 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Sharin | last=Yamano | authorlink=Sharin Yamano | url=https://nikkan-spa.jp/1420428/3 | title=BABYMETALが世界を征服！「ラウド系アイドル」を生んだアイドル＆ガールズ・バンドの歴史【山野車輪】 | trans-title=Babymetal dominates the world! The birth of the "round-style idol" and a history of all-female bands (Sharin Yamano) | language=ja | work={{ill|Nikkan Spa!|ja|SPA!}} | date=2017-10-28 | access-date=2021-10-26 | archive-date=26 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026224518/https://nikkan-spa.jp/1420428/3 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/p-et-tp0-20110520-778371.html | title=元祖バンドルＺＯＮＥ10年後の８月再結成】 | trans-title=Former bandol group Zone reunites again 10 years later in August | language=ja | work=Nikkan Sports | date=2011-05-20 | access-date=27 October 2021 | archive-date=12 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212015214/https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/p-et-tp0-20110520-778371.html | url-status=live }}
• {{nihongo|Gravure idols|グラビアアイドル|gurabia aidoru}}: Gravure idols are models who pose in provocative swimsuit and lingerie photographs in magazines and photo books marketed towards men, similar to pin-up models. In the 1970s, Agnes Lum, who rose to fame in Japan, is considered the first gravure idol despite the term not existing at the time.{{cite book | first=Yūji | last=Oda | title=グラビアアイドル「幻想」論 その栄光と衰退の歴史 | language=ja | location=Japan | publisher=Futabashinsha | date=2011-04-20 | isbn=978-4575153743}} Other notable swimsuit models were {{ill|Shinobu Horie|ja|堀江しのぶ}}, {{ill|Reiko Katō|ja|かとうれいこ}}, and Fumie Hosokawa. After Akiko Hinagata became a rising star in 1995, the term "gravure idol" was coined to describe her. In the 2000s, there was a significant growth in the gravure idol industry, with many women of different body types modeling. This led to sub-category markets in the gravure idol industry to describe their aesthetic and body types, which included {{nihongo|"healing"|癒し系|iyashi-kei}}, {{nihongo|"loli"|ロリ}}, {{nihongo|"intelligent"|知性派|chisei-ha}}, {{nihongo|"big breasts"|爆乳|bakunyū}}, and {{nihongo|"sexy swimsuit"|着エロ|mizugi-ero}}. The gravure idol industry faced a decline in 2010 due to the popularity of AKB48, as some of their members also did gravure modeling; as a result, the demand for newer talents was reduced.

File:Nana Mizuki 2018-2.jpg (pictured 2018) was one of the first voice actors marketed as an idol.]]

• {{nihongo|Idol voice actors|アイドル声優|Aidoru seiyū}}: Since the 1970s, several voice actors of anime and video games also held successful singing careers in addition to voice acting.{{cite web | url=https://www.anime.ac.jp/contents/column/2019/01/04/column58/ | title=「アイドル声優」のブームは継続中！ その歴史は意外と深いって本当？ | language=ja | work=Tokyo School of Anime | date=2019-01-04 | access-date=2019-03-21 | archive-date=21 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321212935/https://www.anime.ac.jp/contents/column/2019/01/04/column58/ | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/55993/full/ | title=角川とアップフロントがアイドル声優オーディション開催 | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2008-07-02 | access-date=2018-12-28 | archive-date=29 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229220215/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/55993/full/ | url-status=live }} Early examples of voice actors who had an idol-like presence were Mobile Suit Gundam voice actors Toshio Furukawa and Toru Furuya in the 1970s, who gained a sizeable female following after forming their band, Slapstick. In the 1980s, idol singer Noriko Hidaka eventually became a voice actress after gaining recognition for playing lead in Touch. Beginning in the 1990s, several voice actors held successful concurrent singing careers alongside of voice acting, such as Hekiru Shiina, Mariko Kouda, and Megumi Hayashibara. As the anime industry began producing more late-night series in the 2000s, the term "idol voice actor" was popularized when more voice actors with a cultivated fan following began appearing on television. While previous examples involved voice actors who incidentally drew in fans through their singing careers or former idol singers who turned to voice acting, Yui Horie, Yukari Tamura, and Nana Mizuki were intentionally produced and marketed as idol voice actors by their record labels. Around the time when the Idol Warring Period was occurring during the mid-to-late 2000s, there was a significant boom in idols voice acting in anime, with Oricon naming Aya Hirano and Koharu Kusumi as examples, as both of them were established actresses and singers in mainstream Japanese entertainment before entering voice acting. Hirano, in particular, was strongly marketed as an idol at the height of her voice acting career, from the late 2000s to the early 2010s.{{cite news | url=https://www.j-cast.com/2011/04/18093448.html?p=all | title=平野綾の声優人生が全否定された？ アッコ「涼宮ハルヒ」なんて誰も知らない | language=ja | work=J-Cast | date=2011-04-18 | access-date=1 October 2021 | archive-date=29 September 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929013137/https://www.j-cast.com/2011/04/18093448.html?p=all | url-status=live }} While character song tie-ins were already common in the film industry by then, some voice actors also began making crossover television, stage, and concert appearances as their characters as well, leading them to be closely associated with one another.{{cite news | first=Junko | last=Yano | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/061025_03.html | title=月島きらり starring 久住小春（モーニング娘。）『スーパーアイドル・きらりの2ndシングルPV到着！』- | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2006-10-25 | access-date=2018-12-27 | archive-date=27 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327183742/https://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/061025_03.html | url-status=live }}
• {{nihongo|Japanese-Korean idols|日韓アイドル|Nikkan aidoru}}: While Japan and South Korea agencies have created collaborative idol groups in the past, with Route 0 in 2002,{{cite news | first=Akiko | last=Koyanagi | url=https://dot.asahi.com/aera/2019022100077.html?page=1 | title=よしもとばなな原作小説、日韓で映画化 少女時代・スヨンが初主演」 | language=ja | work=Aera | publisher=Asahi Shimbun | date=2019-02-21 | access-date=12 May 2021 | archive-date=8 October 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008161725/https://dot.asahi.com/aera/2019022100077.html?page=1 | url-status=live }} during the third Korean wave in the mid-to-late 2010s, the term saw usage again to refer to collaborative idol groups promoting primarily in Japan, but with music, styling, marketing, and presentation produced in the K-pop industry.{{cite news | url=https://www.j-cast.com/kaisha/2020/11/25399658.html?p=all | title=日韓合同アイドル「NiziU」大躍進に沸く韓国 「彼女たちのように日韓が協力しあえば世界を席巻できるのに」【日韓経済戦争】 | language=ja | work=J-Cast | date=2020-11-25 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=30 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130163054/https://www.j-cast.com/kaisha/2020/11/25399658.html?p=all | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Aya | last=Narikawa | url=https://globe.asahi.com/article/14028413 | title=NiziU、日韓で認知度に大きなギャップのわけ | language=ja | work=Asahi Shimbun | date=2020-12-19 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=9 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509024653/https://globe.asahi.com/article/14028413 | url-status=live }} The earliest example is Iz*One in 2018, followed by JO1 in 2019 and NiziU in 2020.

File:ARASHI mengguncang Jakarta! 1m 5s.jpg (pictured 2019) is a best-selling male idol group from Johnny & Associates.]]

• {{nihongo|Johnny's|ジャニーズ|Janīzu}}: Male idols contracted to Johnny & Associates are nicknamed "Johnny's idols" by the media and include groups such as SMAP and Arashi, who have led strong careers both individually and as a group. Since the company was founded in 1962 by Johnny Kitagawa, who is credited for pioneering the idol trainee system and popularizing the performance aspect of modern idols, the company has held a monopoly over the male idol industry in Japan, with Kitagawa pressuring the media to reduce coverage on male idols from other companies until his death in 2019.{{cite news | first=Mark | last=Schilling | author-link=Mark Schilling | url=https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/johnny-kitagawa-power-abuse-japanese-media-omerta-1203271575/ | title=Johnny Kitagawa: Power, Abuse, and the Japanese Media Omerta | work=Variety | date=2019-07-18 | access-date=2019-07-29 | archive-date=27 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727145434/https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/johnny-kitagawa-power-abuse-japanese-media-omerta-1203271575/ | url-status=live }} Johnny's idols also rarely get negative press such as scandals due to Kitagawa's influence on the media.{{cite news | first=Calvin | last=Sims | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/30/world/in-japan-tarnishing-a-star-maker.html | title=In Japan, Tarnishing a Star Maker | work=The New York Times | page=12 | date=2000-01-30 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=10 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310050300/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/30/world/in-japan-tarnishing-a-star-maker.html// | url-status=live }}
• {{nihongo|Junior idols|ジュニアアイドル|junia aidoru}}: Junior idols are singers and gravure models who generally are 15 years old and younger. Junior models first grew in popularity in 1995, when child magazine models became popular for their youthfulness and innocence, beginning with the elementary school girls featured in the covers of the magazine Panja.{{cite news | first=Takashi | last=Saito | url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/d98f0536d68b8d1ea2b96ff7050a69fbd4fcdc30 | title=四半世紀前の中学生が起こしたチャイドルブームの主役たちの今 | language=ja | work=Yahoo! News | date=2021-06-20 | accessdate=2023-10-09}} In addition, in 1997, the magazine Nicola was launched, featuring elementary and middle school girls as their core demographic. At the center of the phenomenon's popularity were Sayaka Yoshino and Yuka Nomura, child actresses and models who became popular in Japanese media. In the following years, it led to what the media named the {{nihongo|"Chidol Boom"|チャイドルブーム}}, with the term "chidol" (a combination of the words "child" and "idol") coined by journalist Akio Nakamori in the magazine Weekly Spa! in 1999.{{cite news | url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/internet/guide/studioeyes/cover9903.html | title=進化する元祖チャイドル | language=ja | work=ITMedia | date=March 1999 | access-date=2021-05-11 | archive-date=12 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512134452/https://www.itmedia.co.jp/internet/guide/studioeyes/cover9903.html | url-status=live }} In the 2000s, "chidol" saw fewer usage, and it was eventually replaced by the term "junior idol" to legitimize them as part of the idol industry as well as removing the focus on their age. While the industry is still considered legal in Japan, it has been criticized for sexual exploitation of minors. Many junior idol distributors closed after possession of child pornography was outlawed in Japan in 2014.

File:A-chan, Nocchi & Kashiyuka (Perfume) "We Are Perfume" at Opening Ceremony of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival (22415969052).jpg (pictured 2015) began as a local idol group performing in Hiroshima.]]

• {{nihongo|{{ill|Local idol|lt=Local idols|ja|ローカルアイドル}}|ローカルアイドル|Rōkaru aidoru}}: Also written as {{nihongo|gotōji aidoru|ご当地アイドル}} and {{nihongo|chihō aidoru|地方アイドル}} or shortened as {{nihongo|"locodol"|ロコドル|rokodoru}}, local idols primarily promote in rural areas in their specific communities, where accessibility to celebrities is limited.{{cite news | first=Mamoru | last=Onoda | url=https://natalie.mu/music/column/415009 | title=2010年代のアイドルシーン Vol.5 ローカルアイドル文化の隆盛（前編） | language=ja | work=Natalie | date=2021-02-04 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=28 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228153427/https://natalie.mu/music/column/415009 | url-status=live }} The emergence of local idols was traced back to the early 2000s with Perfume and Negicco. The "Idol Warring Period" in the 2010s led to an increase in the number of local idols, with the 2013 television drama Amachan inspiring an accelerated growth. Journalist Mamoru Onoda estimates there are approximately 2,000 local idols active as of 2021. Most of the local idol groups are independently managed, relying on popularity through word-of-mouth. Several local idol groups who have crossed into mainstream media in the 2010s are Rev. from DVL and Dorothy Little Happy, the former after a photo of then-member Kanna Hashimoto went viral on the Internet.{{cite news | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2034758/full/ | title=橋本環奈だけじゃない! "かわいすぎる"ご当地アイドル一挙紹介 | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2014-03-08 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=12 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512084657/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2034758/full/ | url-status=live }}
• {{nihongo|Net idols|ネットアイドル|Netto aidoru}}: Net idols are Internet celebrities who emerged with the accessibility of the Internet in the 1990s, using self-made websites and blogs to discuss their daily lives.{{cite news | first=Tomo | last=Kogawa | url=http://kodansha.cplaza.ne.jp/dejitoku/famous/idol/index.html | title=「デジタル特捜隊 ネットの有名人たちspecial ネットアイドルBEST10 1999年夏篇」 | language=ja | work=Kodansha | date=1999 | url-status=dead | access-date=12 May 2021 | archive-date=11 October 2000 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001011184307/http://kodansha.cplaza.ne.jp/dejitoku/famous/idol/index.html }} Net idols currently conduct the majority of their activities through video streaming websites and social media beginning in the 2000s. Around March 2007, dance covers (known as {{nihongo|odottemita|踊ってみた||{{literal translation}} "I tried dancing"}}) became popular on video-sharing websites such as Niconico, which in turn led people into performing choreographed dances from anime series and idol groups.{{cite news | url=https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4565356/ | title=『ニコニコ動画』で定番ジャンルとなった"踊ってみた"動画！ 何故踊る？その心理を聞いてみた | language=ja | work=Gadget News | date=2010-01-23 | accessdate=2023-07-13 | archive-date=30 January 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130060941/http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4565356/ | url-status=live }} Notable creators of dance covers, known as {{nihongo|odorite|踊り手}}, who later debuted as idols include {{ill|Kozue Aikawa|ja|愛川こずえ}} from Danceroid and Dempagumi.inc,{{cite news | url=https://wpb.shueisha.co.jp/news/technology/2016/11/25/75650/ | title=「ニコニコ動画」からアイドルデビューした愛川こずえ 「ニコニコがなかったらたぶんニートになってた（笑）」 | trans-title=Kozue Aikawa, an idol who debuted from Nico Nico Douga: "If it weren't for Niconico, I might've become a NEET (laughs)" | language=ja | work=Weekly Playboy | publisher=Shueisha | date=2016-11-25 | accessdate=2023-07-13 | archive-date=14 July 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230714084438/https://wpb.shueisha.co.jp/news/technology/2016/11/25/75650/ | url-status=live }} Beckii Cruel,{{cite news | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/72162/full/ | title="可愛いにもほどがある!"英ネットアイドルのベッキー・クルーエルが初のテレビ出演! | trans-title="She has so much cuteness!" British net idol Beckii Cruel makes her first television appearance! | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2010-01-05 | accessdate=2023-07-10 | archive-date=10 July 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710192611/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/72162/full/ | url-status=live }} and Keekihime.{{cite web | first=Minoru | last=Hirota | url=https://weekly.ascii.jp/elem/000/002/615/2615137/ | title=ニコ動が引きつけた才能"ケーキ姫☆優海"【ニコ動今昔物語】 | trans-title=Keekihime, a talent drawn in by Nico Douga (A past and present tale on Nico Douga) | language=ja | work=Weekly ASCII | publisher=Kadokawa Future Publishing | date=2013-04-25 | accessdate=2023-06-18 | archive-date=19 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619002530/https://weekly.ascii.jp/elem/000/002/615/2615137/ | url-status=live }}
• {{nihongo|Virtual idols|バーチャルアイドル|Bāchuaru aidoru}}: Virtual idols are digital avatars representing a fictional character or persona. The first fictional idol gaining mainstream crossover was Lynn Minmay from Macross in the 1980s.{{cite news | first=Richard | last=Eisenbeis | url=https://kotaku.com/the-fictional-yet-amazingly-popular-singers-of-japan-5940894 | title=The Fictional (Yet Amazingly Popular) Singers of Japan | work=Kotaku | date=2012-09-07 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=13 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513073505/https://kotaku.com/the-fictional-yet-amazingly-popular-singers-of-japan-5940894 | url-status=live }} In 1997, Kyoko Date was created as the first virtual idol.{{cite news | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/1997/01/02/national/virtual-idol-breaks-new-ground-in-cyberspace-project/ | title=Virtual idol Kyoko Date breaks new ground in cyberspace project | work=The Japan Times | date=1997-01-02 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=12 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512054406/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/1997/01/02/national/virtual-idol-breaks-new-ground-in-cyberspace-project/ | url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |first=J.D. |last=Considine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/1997/05/16/kyoko-date-worlds-first-virtual-pop-star |title=Kyoko Date: The world's first virtual pop star |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=1997-09-25 |access-date=2021-05-10 |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512235742/https://ew.com/article/1997/05/16/kyoko-date-worlds-first-virtual-pop-star/ |url-status=live }} In 2007, Crypton Future Media released Hatsune Miku as its latest addition to the Vocaloid software,{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/08/24/music/animated-pop-star-hatsune-miku-10-huge-impact-music/ | title=Animated pop star Hatsune Miku is only 10, but she has had a huge impact on music | work=The Japan Times | date=2017-08-24 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=12 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512084621/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/08/24/music/animated-pop-star-hatsune-miku-10-huge-impact-music/ | url-status=live }} who subsequently saw positive reception from amateur songwriters, with her character and music based on user-generated content.{{cite news | first=Roland | last=Kelts | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2015/12/19/general/hatsune-miku-nonexistent-pop-star/ | title=Hatsune Miku: the 'nonexistent' pop star | work=The Japan Times | date=2015-12-19 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=4 August 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804100028/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2015/12/19/general/hatsune-miku-nonexistent-pop-star/ | url-status=live }} Virtual online streamer Kizuna AI, who first appeared in 2016, led to a boom of Virtual YouTubers who similarly conduct their activities through a digital avatar on YouTube and other streaming websites.{{cite news | first=Yuki | last=Furukawa | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/22/national/media-national/virtual-streamers-like-kizuna-ai-became-japans-biggest-youtube-attraction/ | title=How virtual streamers like Kizuna Ai became Japan's biggest YouTube attraction | work=The Japan Times | date=2019-09-22 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=12 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512145930/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/22/national/media-national/virtual-streamers-like-kizuna-ai-became-japans-biggest-youtube-attraction/ | url-status=live }}

File:Dempagumi.inc at HYPER JAPAN summer 2015.jpg (pictured 2015) is an {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} idol group, with music and performances influenced by the {{transliteration|ja|otaku}} culture in Akihabara.]]

• {{nihongo|{{ill|Underground idol|lt=Underground idols|ja|地下アイドル}}|地下アイドル|Chika aidoru}}: Underground idols are independently managed idols who perform at small venues. They are also known as {{nihongo|live idols|ライブアイドル|raibu aidoru}} or {{nihongo|indies idols|インディーズアイドル|indīzu aidoru}}.{{cite news | url=http://sankei.jp.msn.com/life/lifestyle/080316/sty0803161156002-n1.htm | title=【サブカル最前線】地下アイドルって何？ アキバの新人ユニットを直撃 | trans-title=(Sub-culture frontline) What are underground idols? A new unit from Akihabara makes a direct hit | language=ja | work=Sankei MSN | date=2008-03-16 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320000659/http://sankei.jp.msn.com/life/lifestyle/080316/sty0803161156002-n1.htm | archive-date=2008-03-20}} Underground idols first emerged in the 1990s when idol groups with large numbers of members began appearing after the popularity of Onyanko Club. Tama Himeno and Kamen Joshi member Tomoka Igari, both underground idols, describe them as being different from mainstream idols (nicknamed {{nihongo|"above-ground idols"|地上アイドル|chijō aidoru}}) in that underground idols are active through live performances rather than through exposure from mass media or CD releases through major record labels, thus making them more accessible to fans in comparison to mainstream idols.{{cite news |first=Tomoki |last=Saejima |url=https://ddnavi.com/interview/428344/a/ |title=地下アイドル、そして応援するファンの実情。内側と外側から業界を見つめる、地下アイドル・姫乃たまインタビュー【前編】 |language=ja |work=Da Vinci |publisher=Media Factory |date=2018-01-12 |access-date=2021-10-01 |archive-date=28 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128060604/https://ddnavi.com/interview/428344/a/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |first=Tomoka |last=Igari |url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/364121 |title=｢アイドルは顔だ｣と誤解する人が知らない真実 |language=ja |work=Toyo Keizai |date=2020-08-12 |access-date=2021-10-01 |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304220727/https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/364121 |url-status=live }} An example Igari used to describe close relationships that underground idols have with their fans is that underground idols will hold handshake events and take instant camera photos (known as {{nihongo|"cheki"|チェキ}}) with fans after every live performance.
• {{nihongo|{{ill|Akiba-kei idol|lt=Akiba-kei idols|ja|アキバ系アイドル}}|アキバ系アイドル|Akiba-kei aidoru|{{lit}} "Akihabara-style idols"}}: {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} idols are type of underground idol based in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, drawing influences from its {{transliteration|ja|otaku}} culture.{{cite news | first=Mamoru | last=Onoda | url=https://natalie.mu/music/column/391473 | title=2010年代のアイドルシーン Vol.3 アキバ系カルチャーとのクロスオーバー（前編） | language=ja | work=Natalie | date=2020-08-12 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=14 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214153939/https://natalie.mu/music/column/391473 | url-status=live }} Music from {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} idols are generally sold as self-published CDs at Comiket or promoted through Niconico. {{ill|Akihabara Dear Stage|ja|秋葉原ディアステージ}} is a dedicated venue where they perform. While {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} idols are niche, Haruko Momoi and Dempagumi.inc are cited as an examples of an {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} idols crossing over to mainstream media.{{cite news | url=https://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/170325/ent1703250004-n3.html | title=「モモーイ」こと桃井はるこ アニメ好きになった意外な理由が「食物アレルギー」って？ | language=ja | work=Sankei Sports | date=2017-03-25 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=13 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513192024/https://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/170325/ent1703250004-n3.html | url-status=live }} Dempagumi.inc's music producer, Maiko Fukushima, describes the music from {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} idols as distinct from anime songs, with most composers being "amateurs" and its organic music culture facing a state of the Galapagos syndrome, as they had no direct creative input from J-pop or other music genres. However, Fukushima noted that songs from R-18 games were also key components of {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} music. In 2007, Vocaloid greatly influenced the growth of {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} music and idol culture. AKB48, one of Japan's most recognized idol groups nationwide, originated from Akihabara, but it is not considered an {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} group.
• Alternative idols: Alternative idols, also known as alt-idols or anti-idols, is a term coined by English-speaking communities to describe idol singers that have an image concept and music different from what is considered mainstream, such as having darker images and alternative rock. The alternative idol scene was pioneered by Bis and Seiko Oomori and made popular by Bis' successor Bish.

File:Fanclub1966SylvieVartan.jpg (pictured 1966) is the codifier of the term "idol", after her appearance in the film Cherchez l'idole (1964) was well received in Japan.]]

The popularity of young female singers can be traced back to Sayuri Yoshinaga in the 1960s, as well as the Takarazuka Revue and theater shows from the Meiji era. In 1962, Johnny Kitagawa founded Johnny & Associates and created the group Johnnys, which is retroactively considered the first idol group in Japan.{{cite news | first=Natsuko | last=Fukue | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/04/14/reference/so-you-wanna-be-a-johnny/#.XXafruTsaUk | title=So, you wanna be a Johnny? | work=The Japan Times | date=2009-04-14 | access-date=2019-09-04 | archive-date=21 August 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821013829/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/04/14/reference/so-you-wanna-be-a-johnny/#.XXafruTsaUk | url-status=live }} He is also credited with pioneering the idol trainee system, where talents would be accepted in the agency at a young age and train not only in singing, but also dancing and acting, until they were ready for debut.{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/07/10/entertainment-news/johnny-kitagawa-mogul-defined-controlled-japans-entertainment-industry/#.XfZcDetS9_o | title=Johnny Kitagawa: The mogul who defined and controlled Japan's entertainment industry | work=The Japan Times | date=2019-07-10 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=11 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511090157/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/07/10/entertainment-news/johnny-kitagawa-mogul-defined-controlled-japans-entertainment-industry/#.XfZcDetS9_o | url-status=live }} However, the concept of an idol was not defined by mainstream Japanese media until in November 1964, when the 1963 French film Cherchez l'idole was released in Japan under the title {{nihongo|Aidoru o Sagase|アイドルを探せ}}.{{cite news | first=Gianni | last=Simone | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2019/02/03/our-lives/fan-idol-yuriko-tigers-journey-colorful-one/ | title=From cosplay fan to idol, Yuriko Tiger's journey has been a colorful one | work=The Japan Times | date=2019-02-03 | access-date=2019-02-08 | archive-date=7 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015641/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2019/02/03/our-lives/fan-idol-yuriko-tigers-journey-colorful-one/ | url-status=live }} Many Japanese audiences took interest in Sylvie Vartan, whose song "La plus belle pour aller danser" from the film sold more than a million copies in Japan. Vartan was heralded for her youthful, adorable looks and musical talent, leading the Japanese entertainment industry to assign the word "idol" to singers who shared a similar aesthetic.

Television greatly impacted the popularity of the idol phenomenon, as beginning in the 1970s, many idols were recruited through audition programs.{{cite book |last=Iwabuchi |first=Koichi |date=2002-11-08 |title=Recentering Globalization: Popular Culture and Japanese Transnationalism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k8ot27vLSV4C&pg=PA100 |location=Durham |publisher=Duke University Press |page=100 |isbn=9780822328919 |quote=In the 1970s and 1980s a televised star-search audition became the basis for the development of the Japanese pop idol system—the process by which media industries manufactured pop idols. |access-date=11 February 2019 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127230114/https://books.google.com/books?id=k8ot27vLSV4C&pg=PA100 |url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Hidetsugu | last=Enami | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2006/07/06/national/show-biz-exploits-volunteerism-image-in-packaging-of-latest-teen-idol/ | title=Show biz exploits 'volunteerism' image in packaging of latest teen idol | work=The Japan Times | date=2006-07-06 | access-date=2019-02-08 | archive-date=7 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107224057/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2006/07/06/national/show-biz-exploits-volunteerism-image-in-packaging-of-latest-teen-idol/ | url-status=live }} In addition, the availability of having home television sets gave audiences greater accessibility of seeing idols at any time compared to going to theaters.{{cite journal | first1=Noboru | last1=Saijō | first2=Eita | last2=Kiuchi | first3=Yasutaka | last3=Ueda | title=アイドルが生息する「現実空間」と「仮想空間」 | language=ja | pages=199–258 | url=https://edo.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_view_main_item_detail&item_id=657&item_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=21 | journal=Bulletin of Edogawa University | location=Japan | volume=26 | date=2016-03-15 | access-date=2021-05-14 | archive-date=15 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515072535/https://edo.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_view_main_item_detail&item_id=657&item_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=21 | url-status=live }}{{rp|201}} Momoe Yamaguchi,{{cite news | first=Dan | last=Grunebaum | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/arts/08iht-Idols.html | title=As Japan Ages, Pop 'Idols' Aren't as Spry as They Used to Be | work=The New York Times | date=2010-10-07 | access-date=2019-02-11 | archive-date=17 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717161335/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/arts/08iht-Idols.html | url-status=live }} Junko Sakurada,{{cite news | first=Ian | last=Martin | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/05/26/music/golden-age-of-kayoukyoku-holds-lessons-for-modern-j-pop/ | title='Golden age' of kayoukyoku holds lessons for modern J-pop | work=The Japan Times | date=2011-05-26 | access-date=2019-02-13 | archive-date=14 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214115611/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/05/26/music/golden-age-of-kayoukyoku-holds-lessons-for-modern-j-pop/ | url-status=live }} Saori Minami, and Mari Amachi, some of the idols recruited through television, were some of the more popular figures of this era, along with groups such as Candies and Pink Lady. Saori Minami, who debuted in 1971, was noted by scholar Masayoshi Sakai to be the turning point of when teenage stars became popular in mainstream media. Music was produced by a shared climate of songwriters and art directors seeking a step towards a depoliticized youth culture. Idols grew in popularity over the 1970s, as they offered audiences escapism from political violence and radical student movements.

Idols at the time were seen as ephemeral because of how short-lived their careers were, and how they would disappear from the public after retirement.{{rp|203}} In public, idols took steps to play a distinct character and uphold an illusion of perfection, such as maintaining a virginal image.{{rp|203}} Other examples include being told not to use restrooms in public and answering interview questions about their favorite food with feminine-sounding answers such as "strawberries" and "shortcake."{{rp|203}}

File:Nakamori Akina in 1985.jpg (pictured 1985) is one of the idols defining the 1980s, the Golden Age of Idols.]]

The influence idols had on television led the 1980s to be known as the "Golden Age of Idols", in part due to Japan's economic bubble and growing commercial interest in them. Several figures who defined the Golden Age of Idols are Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori, Kyōko Koizumi, and Onyanko Club. Television programs in which idols appeared often enjoyed high viewer ratings. Dentsu also created the "CM idol" business model, where idols were able to gain fame by singing and appearing in commercials.

Onyanko Club, in particular, shifted public perception of idols from professional stars to ordinary schoolgirls who would gain experience throughout their career. They were also the first group to introduce a "graduation system", where older members would eventually leave the group while newer inexperienced members would join, with the system being named such as the group drew similarities to a school club. Onyanko Club also led to idols becoming closely associated with television due to the popularity of their variety show, as the visual component became important to the overall enjoyment of their music.

At the same time, male idols gained popularity, with acts from Johnny & Associates normalizing idols singing and dancing at the same time. However, fewer male idol acts from other companies achieved the same success as Johnny's idols due to the company's CEO, Johnny Kitagawa, controlling the media and pressuring certain programs not to invite male idols from competing agencies, as he would continue to until his death in 2019.

File:25th Anniversary Namie Amuro Live.jpg (pictured 2017) saw popularity among girls in the 1990s, despite rejecting the idol label.]]

Around 1985, idols soon became unpopular after the public became disillusioned with the idol system. By the 1990s, public interest in idols began to wane, as audiences lost interest in singing and audition programs, particularly due to a shift in attitudes caused by Japan's economic collapse. The media coined the term {{nihongo|"Idol Winter Period"|アイドル冬の時代|Aidoru Fuyu no Jidai}} to describe the stagnation of the idol industry beginning in 1990.{{cite news | url=https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/20201111-OYT1T50123/ | title=アイドル冬の時代、手作り名刺配り発奮した高橋由美子が３０周年…「悲壮な現実ブッ潰す」 | language=ja | work=Yomiuri Shimbun | date=2020-11-15 | access-date=7 October 2021 | archive-date=11 April 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411144039/https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/20201111-OYT1T50123/ | url-status=live }}

More young people yielded aspirations to be defined as an artist instead of an idol. During this decline, public perception of idols again shifted from inexperienced amateurs to strong, independent women, in part due to a rehaul in Seiko Matsuda's public image. Namie Amuro, who gained fame as the lead singer of Super Monkey's, found popularity among young girls who emulated her appearance. At the same time, Speed also found a fan following. However, neither Amuro nor Speed referred to themselves under the idol label. While idols appeared less in mainstream media, the popularity of Onyanko Club from the 1980s led to an increase of idol groups with large numbers of members debuting in the 1990s, performing under independent record labels. These idols became known as underground idols. Because of the lack of publicity over idols on television, many turned to the Internet.

Johnny & Associates observed the popularity of former Shibugakitai member Hirohide Yakumaru's success as an MC on variety shows, which prompted them to develop and market their current acts with distinct public personalities.{{cite news | first=Philip | last=Brasor | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/05/10/national/media-national/brush-pop-idol-feuds-exam/ | title=Brush up on pop idol feuds before the exam | work=The Japan Times | date=2014-05-10 | access-date=2021-05-11 | archive-date=29 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629235744/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/05/10/national/media-national/brush-pop-idol-feuds-exam/ | url-status=live }} Groups from the company began gaining more attention, drawing in fans from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and their marketing success led to many other idols doing the same.

In the mid-1990s, there was an increase in young idols in the elementary school age, which the media described as the "Chidol (child idol) Boom."{{cite news | first=Naga | last=Nakano | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/51019/ | title=浜辺美波・正統派美少女の系譜と"生粋の女優"としての輝き | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2018-04-22 | access-date=2019-03-21 | archive-date=22 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322030438/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/51019/ | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.hochi.co.jp/entertainment/20190211-OHT1T50120.html | title=元チャイドル野村佑香、第２子の写真を公開 自宅に戻ったことを報告 | language=ja | work=Sports Hochi | date=2019-02-11 | access-date=2019-03-21 | archive-date=22 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322034945/https://www.hochi.co.jp/entertainment/20190211-OHT1T50120.html | url-status=live }} The term "chidol" was coined by journalist Akio Nakamori in the magazine Weekly Spa! In the 2000s, "chidol" saw fewer usage, and it was eventually replaced by the term "junior idol" to legitimize them as part of the idol industry as well as removing the focus on their age.

The 2000s saw the rise in popularity of idol groups again after Morning Musume's debut in 1997 and the formation of their musical collective, Hello! Project.{{cite news | first=Mamoru | last=Onoda | url=https://natalie.mu/music/column/380454 | title=2010年代のアイドルシーン Vol.1 "アイドル戦国時代"幕開けの瞬間（前編） | language=ja | work=Natalie | date=2020-05-26 | access-date=2021-05-11 | archive-date=16 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216045535/https://natalie.mu/music/column/380454 | url-status=live }} Around the same time, there was an increase in gravure idols, who competed in magazine and photo book sales. In addition, anime voice actors, such as Yui Horie, Nana Mizuki, and Yukari Tamura, were also marketed as idols to promote both their activities and singing careers.

While idols briefly experienced another decline after 2002, AKB48 debuted in 2005 and later became known as nation's idol group. The public image of idols had diversified, with each idol group having a specific concept appealing to different audiences. To celebrate the diversity of idols, AKB48, Shoko Nakagawa, and Leah Dizon performed a medley called "Special Medley: Latest Japan Proud Culture" at the 58th Kohaku Uta Gassen in 2007, introduced as "{{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} idols" with each act described as a different sub-genre of idols.{{cite web|url=http://www9.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/history/history_58.html |title=58th Kouhaku Utagassen History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513085923/http://www9.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/history/history_58.html |archive-date=13 May 2011}}

File:Kanna Hashimoto at 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.jpg (pictured 2014), then a member of Rev. from DVL, performed as a local idol in Fukuoka. After a fan-taken photo went viral in 2013, Rev. from DVL crossed over to mainstream media.]]

The idol industry experienced a rapid growth in the beginning of the 2010s, and the media coined the nickname {{Nihongo|"Idol Warring Period"|アイドル戦国時代|Aidoru Sengoku Jidai}} to describe the phenomenon. Lawyer Kunitaka Kasai cited the Internet as a reason for the rapid growth of idols, as anyone can upload videos onto websites, and AKB48's business model encouraged this even further through creating more opportunities for fan interactivity. The 2013 television drama Amachan also inspired more idol groups to appear, the majority of them being "local idols" who performed in specific rural communities. Several independent idol groups also crossed over into mainstream, such as Dempagumi.inc, Dorothy Little Happy, and Rev. from DVL, the latter of which gained mainstream popularity after a photo of then-member Kanna Hashimoto went viral.

Since 2010, the biggest idol concert festival, Tokyo Idol Festival, has taken place. More than 200 idol groups and about 1500 idols performed, attracting more than 80,000 spectators in 2017. During 2014, about 486,000 people attended AKB48 and Momoiro Clover Z's live concerts, which was the highest record of all female musicians in Japan.{{cite web |url=http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO79804640X11C14A1000000/ |script-title=ja:AKB48よりももクロが上 コンサート動員力2014 |work=Nihon Keizai Shimbun |date=4 December 2014 |access-date=16 September 2015 |language=ja |archive-date=27 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927135119/http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO79804640X11C14A1000000/ |url-status=live }} Momoiro Clover Z has been ranked as the most popular female idol group from 2013 to 2017 according to surveys by The Nikkei, There were more than 10,000 teenage girls who performed as idols in Japan in 2017. In 2019, there were over 3,000 female idol groups.{{cite news | first=Miki | last=Gonobe | url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/column/gonohe/news/201901280000337.html | title=アイドルの諸問題、悪いのは運営か、それとも… | language=ja | work=Nikkan Sports | date=2019-01-28 | access-date=2019-02-13 | archive-date=30 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130104604/https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/column/gonohe/news/201901280000337.html | url-status=live }}

From 2013 to 2018, boy band Arashi was ranked as the most popular artist overall in Japan according to Oricon polls of 20,000 people.{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/775/|script-title=ja:第10回好きなアーティストランキング『嵐が史上初の4連覇！音楽ファン2万人が選ぶTOP20の結果は？』|date=25 October 2013|publisher=Oricon|access-date=25 November 2018|language=ja|archive-date=25 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125204441/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/775/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/1499/|script-title=ja:音楽ファン2万人が選ぶ"好きなアーティスト|date=24 October 2014|publisher=Oricon|access-date=25 November 2018|language=ja|archive-date=26 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126005447/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/1499/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/48352/|script-title=ja:音楽ファン2万人が選ぶ 好きなアーティストランキング 2015|date=22 October 2015|publisher=Oricon|access-date=25 November 2018|language=ja|archive-date=22 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122005612/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/48352/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/2016/favorite-artist-ranking/index2.html|script-title=ja:第13回 音楽ファン2万人が選ぶ "好きなアーティストランキング" 2016|date=14 November 2016|publisher=Oricon|access-date=25 November 2018|language=ja|archive-date=25 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125204528/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/2016/favorite-artist-ranking/index2.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/2017/favorite-artist-ranking/index2.html|script-title=ja:第14回 音楽ファン2万人が選ぶ "好きなアーティストランキング" 2017|date=7 December 2017|publisher=Oricon|access-date=25 November 2018|language=ja|archive-date=25 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125204320/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/2017/favorite-artist-ranking/index2.html|url-status=live}} Other male idols also found success as underground idols, as well as anime media mix projects and 2.5D musicals.{{cite news | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/48664/ | title=男性アイドルシーンに異変 「地方」「2.5次元」「アニメ」の異色出自アイドルたち | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2016-02-07 | access-date=2019-01-16 | archive-date=17 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117070157/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/48664/ | url-status=live }}

In the early 2010s, the diversification of the idol industry led to several acts mixing pop music with other musical genres such as alternative rock and heavy metal; this was pioneered by Bis and Seiko Oomori and was given the sub-category "alternative idol" by English-speaking publications.{{cite web|url=https://japan-forward.com/singing-songs-of-rebellion-meet-7-of-japans-alternative-idols/|title=Singing Songs of Rebellion: Meet 7 of Japan's Alternative Idols|website=Japan Forward|date=February 9, 2021|access-date=20 November 2022|archive-date=20 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120194423/https://japan-forward.com/singing-songs-of-rebellion-meet-7-of-japans-alternative-idols/|url-status=live}} They have also been known for utilising shock value to gain public and media attention and making use of a darker image than that of the idol scene norm.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/6vg58m/the-j-pop-world-why-one-anti-idol-group-is-covering-themselves-in-fake-semen-akb48-dis-2014-57a20789ce6c3edef347e6a8|title=Why One J-Pop Girl Group is Covering Themselves in Fake Semen To Protest Idol Culture|website=Vice|date=June 23, 2014|access-date=20 November 2022|archive-date=1 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001174539/https://www.vice.com/en/article/6vg58m/the-j-pop-world-why-one-anti-idol-group-is-covering-themselves-in-fake-semen-akb48-dis-2014-57a20789ce6c3edef347e6a8|url-status=live}}

Beginning in the mid-to-late 2010s, the Japanese idol industry crossed over with K-pop with the third Korean wave in Japan, which was sparked partially from positive reception of the Japanese members of the South Korean group Twice.{{cite news | url=https://www.nhk.or.jp/gendai/kiji/080/ | title=「TWICEになりたい」 日本のアイドルの卵たちが、韓国デビューを選ぶ理由 | language=ja | work=NHK | date=2018-02-14 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=11 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511012942/https://www.nhk.or.jp/gendai/kiji/080/ | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Sun-hwa | last=Dong | url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2021/01/732_250857.html | title='Third hallyu' blooming in Japan | work=The Korea Times | date=2018-06-18 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=19 May 2021 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20210519083553/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2021/01/732_250857.html | url-status=live }} In the years that followed, several Japanese and South Korean companies collaborated to form K-pop influenced groups for a global consumer base, such as Iz*One,{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/12/06/music/bridges-built-power-k-pop-j-pop/ | title=Bridges built by the power of K-pop and J-pop | work=The Japan Times | date=2018-12-06 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=26 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126090604/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/12/06/music/bridges-built-power-k-pop-j-pop/ | url-status=live }} JO1,{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/01/14/music/music-trends-jpop/ | title=What does 2021 have in store for J-pop? | work=The Japan Times | date=2021-01-04 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=3 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203091809/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/01/14/music/music-trends-jpop/ | url-status=live }} and NiziU.{{cite news | first=Dong-woo | last=Chang | url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200713004900315 | title=Exporting the template: K-pop agencies' overseas idol projects yield solid results | work=Yonhap News Agency | date=2020-07-13 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=19 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719110620/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200713004900315 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/04/22/music/niziu-made-south-korea-totally-japanese | title=NiziU: Made in South Korea, totally Japanese | work=The Japan Times | date=2021-04-22 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=6 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506152756/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/04/22/music/niziu-made-south-korea-totally-japanese/ | url-status=live }}

File:Wotagei in Akihabara.jpg}} at an idol concert in Akihabara in 2011.]]

{{external media|float = right|width = 230px|video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOgp-jKQTF4 Cute - Cutie Circuit 2011]
Fans are swaying glow sticks in the color of their favorite band member and cheering their idols with chants. When a Cute member sings a solo line, everyone shouts her name. (For example, from 2:11: "Maimi!", "Airi!", "Maimi!", "Airi!")| video2 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgvWkn8f_ME Momoiro Clover - "Z Densetsu"].
The audience is filled with fans dressed in the color of their favorite Momoiro Clover Z member.}}

Passionate male fans of idols are colloquially referred to as {{nihongo|wota|ヲタ}}, derived from the word "{{transliteration|ja|otaku}}."{{cite news | first=Eric | last=Prideaux | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2005/01/16/to-be-sorted/wota-lota-love/ | title=Wota lota love | work=The Japan Times | date=2005-01-16 | access-date=2019-02-13 | archive-date=8 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108014815/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2005/01/16/to-be-sorted/wota-lota-love/ | url-status=live }} Beginning in the 1980s, they formed cheering groups known as {{nihongo|bodyguards|親衛隊|shin'eitai}} to support idols at concerts and public appearances. During these events, the {{transliteration|ja|wota}} perform {{transliteration|ja|wotagei}}, an organized sequence of fan chants and dancing to show appreciation for the idols.{{cite news | url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/fans-show-love-through-dance | title=Fans show love through dance | work=The Straits Times | date=2016-11-25 | access-date=2021-05-12 | archive-date=12 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512121503/https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/fans-show-love-through-dance | url-status=live }} Fan chants where an idol's name is called after each bar is sung was popularized by Mari Amachi's fans in the 1970s.{{rp|202}}

Because mainstream Japanese media exercises self-censorship over taboo, controversial subjects, fans are influential in circulating under-reported news through social media.{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/02/03/music/idols-fans-power-make-change-japan/#.XF3_4-TsaUk | title=An idol's fans have the power to make change in Japan | work=The Japan Times | date=2019-02-03 | access-date=2019-02-08 | archive-date=9 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124440/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/02/03/music/idols-fans-power-make-change-japan/#.XF3_4-TsaUk | url-status=live }}

Idol fan culture has introduced several slang terms into the Japanese public, including:{{cite journal | first1=Yuki | last1=Yamamoto | title=オタク用語およびネット用語の意味の変化と一般化 | trans-title=The semantic change and generalization of {{transliteration|ja|otaku}} and Internet slang | language=ja | url=https://www.icc.ac.jp/nakayama/05.pdf | journal=Ibaraki Christian University Faculty of Letters Department of Cultural Exchange 2016 | location=Japan | date=2016 | access-date=2021-05-14 | archive-date=1 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201130605/https://www.icc.ac.jp/nakayama/05.pdf | url-status=live }}{{rp|4}}

• DD, an abbreviation for {{nihongo|daredemo daisuki|誰でも大好き||{{literal translation}} "I love everyone"}}, applying to people who do not have a favorite member or group.{{rp|4}} The term has negative connotations.{{cite news | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/54613/ | title=【AKB48編】ファンが使っているあの言葉の意味は？ "沼落ち寸前のあなたに贈る"アイドル用語辞典 | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2020-05-01 | access-date=2021-06-08 | archive-date=8 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608234244/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/54613/ | url-status=live }} Writer Riyan suggests that while there are fans with no favorite members or groups, they are not likely to identify themselves as DD.{{cite news | author=Riyan | url=https://mirror.asahi.com/article/13875511 | title=アイドルファンがDDを名乗ることは悪いこと？ | trans-title=It's a bad thing for idol fans to identify as DD? | work=Mirror | publisher=The Asahi Shimbun | date=2020-10-29 | access-date=2021-06-08 | archive-date=8 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608231516/https://mirror.asahi.com/article/13875511 | url-status=live }} A variation of DD is the word {{nihongo|bako oshi|箱推し||{{literal translation}} "supporter of the whole package"}}, which indicates support for an idol group.{{cite news | url=https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20191214-939240/2 | title=「DD」って、どういう意味かわかる? アイドル業界の専門用語クイズ | work=MyNavi News | date=2019-12-14 | access-date=2021-06-08 | archive-date=8 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608232901/https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20191214-939240/2 | url-status=live }}
• {{nihongo|Oshimen|推しメン}}, also shortened to {{nihongo|oshi|推し}}, is a favorite member or group{{rp|4}}

File:20170514 大握手会 きまぐれオンステージ『フレッシュッシュ』 55s.jpg interacts with a fan at an AKB48 handshake event in 2017.]]

A notable trait of idols that sets them apart from typical celebrities is their relationship with fans, and they are marketed intentionally by talent agencies to have a high emotional connection with their consumer fan base. Fans are built as active supporters into the narrative of the idol's journey to become a professional entertainer, viewing them as siblings, daughters/sons, or girl/boy next door types due to how easily they can relate to the public.{{cite book |doi=10.1057/9781137283788_6 |title=Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture |pages=113–130|chapter=From Boys Next Door to Boys' Love: Gender Performance in Japanese Male Idol Media | first=Lucy | last=Glasspool |year=2012 |editor=Galbraith P.W. |editor2=Karlin J.G. |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=London |isbn=978-1-349-33445-2 |via=SpringerLink}} One documented example are fans of female idols, typically consisting of men from 30 to 40 years of age, who seek interactions with them as a way of having a long-term relationship without the prospect of supporting a family or dealing with awkwardness outside of a controlled environment.{{cite news | first=Justin | last=Lowe | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/tokyo-idols-review-965983 | title='Tokyo Idols': Film Review | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2017-01-20 | access-date=2020-08-24 | archive-date=3 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803183208/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/tokyo-idols-review-965983 | url-status=live }} The idol fan culture idealizes the idea of {{transliteration|ja|moe}}, where vulnerability is seen as an attractive trait.

Using idols from Johnny & Associates as an example, male idols appeal to female fans by representing a pseudo-romantic ideal for them.{{rp|207}} However, there are some female fans, particularly in Japan, who prefer to put themselves in the role of an external observer.{{rp|207}} For them, the absence of other women is a way of watching the male idols interact with one another and imagining their interactions to be similar to {{transliteration|ja|yaoi}}.{{rp|207}}

Fans spend money on merchandise and endorsed products to directly support their favorites, comparing it to spending money on "loved ones"; some express feeling happy that they were able to make someone they admired happy.{{cite news | first=Marie | last=Minami | url=https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2018/01/16/rohi-zukan_a_23335251/ | title=なぜアニメやアイドルに、お金を注ぐの？「沼」にハマる女性たちを描く『浪費図鑑』の作者に聞いた | language=ja | work=HuffPost | date=2018-01-17 | access-date=2019-03-21 | archive-date=21 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321221846/https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2018/01/16/rohi-zukan_a_23335251/ | url-status=live }} Dedicated fans may give up their careers and devote their life savings to supporting and following their favorite members. To foster a closeness between idols and fans, some talent agencies offer meet-and-greets in the form of handshake events, where fans have the opportunity to shake hands, take a photograph, and speak briefly with the idols. AKB48's business model created more opportunities for fan interactions with their "idols you can meet" concept. An example of this are their elections, where fans can vote for their favorite member, thereby including the fans directly into the members' individual success. Because idols share an intimate relationship with their fans, fans may feel "betrayed" if idols reveal unfavorable parts of their personal lives that are different from the image they present, or break the illusion that they are there exclusively for fans.

Idols often appear in advertising, with 50–70% of commercials in Japan featuring an idol.{{Cite book|title=Through a Looking Glass Darkly: Television Advertising, Idols, and the Making of Fan Audiences|last=Karlin|first=Jason G.|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan Limited|year=2012|isbn=9781349334452|location=New York|pages=72–75}} The "CM idol" business model, conceptualized by advertising agency Dentsu in the 1980s, uses idols' public image as a marketing asset. As the career of idols are dependent on their image, contracting offices create their image based upon trends in the market and with the intent of generating as much revenue as possible.{{Cite book|title=The Jimusho System: Understanding the Production Logic of the Japanese Entertainment Industry|last=Marx|first=W. David|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan Limited|year=2012|isbn=9780230298309|location=New York|pages=36–37}} Along with promoting products, commercials are also a cross-platform to promote idols at the same time by keeping both brand and idol product in the forefront of the consumers' minds. Pitches for commercials are often made with a specific idol who matches the company's image in mind. Idols contracted to particular brands are expected to uphold the brand's image and may not work for competing brands or networks; the agreement extends to magazine advertisements, online videos, and appearances in dramas. Idols may also provide the music or jingle for commercials.{{rp|5}} The idol industry makes approximately $1 billion a year.

Beginning in the 1980s, companies would compete to secure contracts for idols in dramas, which led to the current four-season television cour in Japan. Variety, talk, and music shows also became popular, in part for featuring idols as guests or the stars of the show.{{rp|5}}

{{See also|List of idol anime and manga}}

File:Numazu City Hall Celebrating Kohaku.jpg, for being accepted as a participating performer in the 2018 Kōhaku Uta Gassen.]]

The idol industry has crossed over to anime and video games. Using a media mix strategy, various multimedia projects have used fictional idols to market Japanese pop culture and {{transliteration|ja|anison}} music.{{cite news | first=Satoru | last=Ryusei | url=https://realsound.jp/2020/02/post-509609.html | title=メディアミックスプロジェクト戦国時代が到来？ DJ、お笑い、戦国武将……多種多様に広がるコンテンツの現在 | language=ja | work=Real Sound | date=2020-02-23 | access-date=2020-04-26 | archive-date=21 September 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921012255/https://realsound.jp/2020/02/post-509609.html | url-status=live }} The series Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel was the first notable anime series to use a media mix marketing strategy, where Takako Ōta would provide the voice to the main character and portray her at music events; the series was used as a vehicle to launch her singing career.{{cite news | first=Kara | last=Dennison | url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2019/07/11/creamy-mami-character-goods-prove-showa-idols-are-forever | title=Creamy Mami Character Goods Prove Showa Idols Are Forever | work=Crunchyroll | date=2019-07-11 | access-date=2020-04-26 | archive-date=5 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705061105/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2019/07/11/creamy-mami-character-goods-prove-showa-idols-are-forever | url-status=live }} The first fictional idol to cross over to mainstream media is Lynn Minmay from Macross, whose 1984 single, "Ai Oboete Imasu ka", charted at #7 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. In the late 2000s, Vocaloid software Hatsune Miku was received positively among amateur music producers, who used her as an avatar to perform their compositions, influencing {{transliteration|ja|Akiba-kei}} music.

In the early 2010s, idol-themed multimedia projects, such as Love Live!, The Idolmaster, and Uta no Prince-sama, became popular.{{cite news | first=Hiroki | last=Tai | url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/47672/ | title=最近よく聞く"2.5次元"、その定義とは？ | language=ja | work=Oricon | date=2015-02-15 | access-date=2019-01-16 | archive-date=3 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004807/https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/47672/ | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Fujiko | last=Itabashi | url=https://realsound.jp/2016/09/post-9015.html | title=「うたプリ」「Bプロ」…女性ターゲットのアイドルアニメ大豊作！ 新時代の覇者は生まれるか | language=ja | work=Real Sound | date=2016-09-01 | access-date=2019-01-16 | archive-date=22 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322002258/https://realsound.jp/2016/09/post-9015.html | url-status=live }} Professor Marc Steinberg suggested that the popularity of idol-related media mix projects may stem from the managerial aspect found in life simulation games, with The Idolmaster being the first notable idol franchise to include this.{{cite book | contributor-first1=Marc | contributor-last1=Steinberg | contribution=Managing the media mix | first1=Dal Yong | last1=Jin | title=Transmedia Storytelling in East Asia | pages=159–182 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340411214 | publisher=Routledge | location=United Kingdom | date=2020-04-20 | access-date=2021-09-21 | archive-date=21 September 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921232744/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340411214_Managing_the_media_mix | url-status=live }} These franchises set the fans in the active contributing role of the "producer" and regularly involved interactivity, as input made by the players were crucial to the idols' success. The growth of idol-related media mix projects in anime and video games was also seen as an attempt from the Japanese government to market Japanese pop culture overseas through the Cool Japan initiative. Music produced by voice actor idols and fictional idols have crossed over to mainstream music charts,{{cite news | url=https://animeanime.jp/article/2017/12/05/36170.html | title=今人気のアイドルアニメソングは... TSUTAYAアニメストア11月音楽ランキング | language=ja | work=Anime! Anime! | date=2017-12-15 | access-date=2019-03-21 | archive-date=22 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322003506/https://animeanime.jp/article/2017/12/05/36170.html | url-status=live }} with Billboard Japan launching the Billboard Japan Hot Animation Chart on December 1, 2010, exclusively for anime and video game music releases.{{cite web|url=https://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201012013190/|title=ビルボードジャパン新チャート提供開始のお知らせ|trans-title=Announcement regarding the beginning the Billboard Japan Charts|language=ja|work=Kyodo News|date=2010-12-01|access-date=2019-10-31|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624041057/https://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201012013190/|archive-date=2012-06-24}} Fictional idols have been treated like real-life celebrities. Idol-themed anime and video game series have been compared to the sports genre in anime due to a similar competitive nature and team-building the characters face, as well as being linked to the Odagiri effect for featuring attractive people of the same gender interacting with each other.{{cite news | first=Lauren | last=Orsini | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-12-21/what-is-a-fujoshi/.109594 | title=What is a Fujoshi? | work=Anime News Network | date=2016-12-21 | access-date=2019-03-12 | archive-date=21 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221164647/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-12-21/what-is-a-fujoshi/.109594 | url-status=live }}

The idol fan culture is heavily tied to anime and manga, and most fans of anime are also fans of idols. The idea of "{{transliteration|ja|moe}}", which was popularized by anime, can be projected onto both idols and fictional characters, linking the two. Some may prefer fictional idols due to them never disbanding, leaving groups, or getting into scandals. A 2005 study by the Nomura Research Institute revealed that idol fans were the third largest group of {{transliteration|ja|otaku}} interests, following comics and anime.{{cite web | url=http://www.nri.co.jp/english/news/2005/051006.html | title=New Market Scale Estimation for Otaku: Population of 1.72 Million with Market Scale of ¥411 Billion – NRI classifies 5 types of otaku group, proposing a "New 3Cs" marketing frame | publisher=Nomura Research Institute | date=2005-10-06 | access-date=2019-02-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713033155/http://www.nri.co.jp/english/news/2005/051006.html | archive-date=13 July 2012 | url-status=dead}}

In the late-2010s, the idol agency influenced the business model of VTuber agencies such as Hololive and Nijisanji—which focus on a mix of video game livestreaming, entertainment, and music.{{Cite web |last=Marinescu |first=Jake Dean, Delia |date=2021-06-10 |title=The Virtual YouTube World Is in Uproar. What's the Virtual YouTube World? |url=https://slate.com/technology/2021/06/kiryu-coco-graduating-vtube-hololive.html |access-date=2021-11-08 |website=Slate Magazine |language=en |archive-date=8 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108010227/https://slate.com/technology/2021/06/kiryu-coco-graduating-vtube-hololive.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=The Vtuber Industry: Corporatization, Labor, and Kawaii |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/akdj3z/the-vtuber-industry-corporatization-labor-and-kawaii |url-status=live |access-date=2021-11-08 |website=Vice |date=22 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531221328/https://www.vice.com/en/article/akdj3z/the-vtuber-industry-corporatization-labor-and-kawaii }}

The idol system has been criticized for its strict rules, intense work schedules, and offering idols little control over their personal lives.{{cite news | first=Mariko | last=Oi | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35368705 | title=The dark side of Asia's pop music industry | publisher=BBC | date=2016-01-26 | access-date=2019-02-08 | archive-date=16 December 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216233005/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35368705 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Frasier | last=McAlpine | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/84fd62c3-f5a4-49e6-9e3e-6f5217c1448c | title=The Japanese obsession with girl bands - explained | publisher=BBC | date=2017-06-30 | access-date=2019-02-08 | archive-date=9 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109005703/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/84fd62c3-f5a4-49e6-9e3e-6f5217c1448c | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Ian | last=Martin | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/01/music/akb48-members-penance-shows-flaws-in-idol-culture/ | title=AKB48 member's 'penance' shows flaws in idol culture | work=The Japan Times | date=2013-02-01 | access-date=2019-02-08 | archive-date=30 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130104553/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/01/music/akb48-members-penance-shows-flaws-in-idol-culture/ | url-status=live }} The system has been likened to salarymen in Japan who are unable to disobey their employers. Labor rights activist Shohei Sakagura stated that idols get very little revenue and are ill-prepared for the work force after leaving their groups, as many of them spend their academic years learning poor job skills.{{cite news | first1=Mari | last1=Yamamoto | first2=Jake | last2=Adelstein | author-link2=Jake Adelstein | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/look-but-dont-touch-inside-the-weird-dangerous-world-of-japans-girl-idols | title=Inside the Weird, Dangerous World of Japan's Girl 'Idols' | work=The Daily Beast | date=2019-01-21 | access-date=2020-08-19 | archive-date=10 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810083337/https://www.thedailybeast.com/look-but-dont-touch-inside-the-weird-dangerous-world-of-japans-girl-idols | url-status=live }} In addition to this, Rob Schwartz from Billboard addressed that Japanese mainstream media outlets rarely bring attention to controversies and allegations of power harassment due to self-censorship on what they are allowed to write. Sasetsu Takeda of GQ Japan wrote that talent agencies dismiss idols regardless of their popularity, sometimes intentionally blocking job offers in order to pressure them to leave, all while declaring that they are "resting from illness" to the public.{{cite news | first=Sasetsu | last=Takeda | url=https://gqjapan.jp/culture/column/20190305/no-more-objectification-of-me | title=No More Objectification of Me: 女性アイドルはなぜ「謝らされる」のか? | language=ja | work=GQ Japan | date=2019-03-05 | access-date=2019-03-21 | archive-date=22 March 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322041936/https://gqjapan.jp/culture/column/20190305/no-more-objectification-of-me | url-status=live }} Independently managed idol groups offer even less protection, with idols given ambiguously worded contracts that keep them in their companies for years, while offering almost no pay and compensation for transportation and costuming fees.{{cite news | first1=Misa | last1=Ogawa | first2=Mayuko | last2=Isobe | first3=Misa | last3=Hirabayashi | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/12/21/national/social-issues/dark-side-japans-underground-idols-little-pay-long-hours-unbreakable-contracts/ | title=The dark side of Japan's underground idols: Little pay, long hours and unbreakable contracts | work=The Japan Times | date=2018-12-21 | access-date=2019-03-22 | archive-date=30 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130104559/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/12/21/national/social-issues/dark-side-japans-underground-idols-little-pay-long-hours-unbreakable-contracts/ | url-status=live }} Lawyer Kunitaka Kasai stated management may be poor, especially among independent idol groups, because they were established by people with a lack of experience to fill a demand for idols over the industry's growth.

Work schedules for idols have been criticized for being excessive, as idols are expected to work even when sick. Miki Gonobe from Nikkan Sports noted that idols generally do not have a labor union and agencies see no need for one, as they view idol activities akin to extracurricular activities at school. She voiced concerns about young girls becoming idols at an early age, especially elementary school students. In addition, Sasetsu Takeda of GQ Japan criticized some idol managements for intentionally preventing their talents from taking time off, mentioning it "strange" that idols are only notified of their assignments the night before. He also condemned the idol industry for not providing talents access to better mental health resources, as idols are often suspended or dismissed for publicly showing they are stressed out of concern that they may cause fans to feel worried or upset.

In March 2018, Ehime Girls member Honoka Omoto died by suicide, with her family launching a lawsuit against her talent agency in October 2018.{{cite news | first=Haruka | last=Udagawa | url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20181118/p2a/00m/0na/005000c | title=Suicide of teen draws attention to poor working conditions, harassment of idols | work=The Mainichi | date=2018-11-18 | access-date=2020-08-19 | archive-date=25 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925134318/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20181118/p2a/00m/0na/005000c | url-status=live }} Allegedly, Omoto was working 10 hours a day at the expense of her studies and when she had asked to leave the group, a staff member threatened her with violence while Takahiro Sasaki, the head of her managing company, told her she would have to pay a penalty fee of {{JPY|1 million}}.{{cite news | first=Brian | last=Ashcraft | url=https://kotaku.com/after-idols-death-bullying-and-intimidation-allegation-1829748345 | title=After Idol's Death, Bullying And Intimidation Allegations Surface | work=Kotaku | date=2018-10-15 | access-date=2020-08-19 | archive-date=9 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809003240/https://kotaku.com/after-idols-death-bullying-and-intimidation-allegation-1829748345 | url-status=live }} In June 2018, a former member of Niji no Conquistador filed a lawsuit against Pixiv representative director, Hiroaki Nagata, and the group's management companies for voyeurism and sexual harassment during her time with the group,{{cite news | first=Karen | last=Ressler | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-06-01/former-niji-no-conquistador-idol-sues-pixiv-representative-director-for-sexual-harassment/.132296 | title=Former Niji No Conquistador Idol Sues pixiv Representative Director for Sexual Harassment | work=Anime News Network | date=2018-06-01 | access-date=2020-08-19 | archive-date=4 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804045617/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-06-01/former-niji-no-conquistador-idol-sues-pixiv-representative-director-for-sexual-harassment/.132296 | url-status=live }} and Nagata filed a counter lawsuit for libel and resigned several days later.{{cite news | first=Rafael Antonio | last=Pineda | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-06-06/pixiv-representative-director-resigns-from-company-amidst-lawsuits/.132512 | title=pixiv Representative Director Resigns From Company Amidst Lawsuits | work=Anime News Network | date=2018-06-06 | access-date=2020-08-19 | archive-date=3 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803203858/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-06-06/pixiv-representative-director-resigns-from-company-amidst-lawsuits/.132512 | url-status=live }} On February 10, 2020, the Tokyo District Court dismissed his claims and ordered him to pay {{JPY|1.1 million}} to the woman in damages.{{cite web | url=https://era-japan.org/archives/709 | title=【報告】アイドルグループ「虹のコンキスタドール」元メンバー及びERA共同代表理事と、元プロデューサー永田寛哲氏との間で行われた裁判の判決について | language=ja | work=Entertainment Rights Association | date=2020-02-10 | accessdate=2022-06-02 | archive-date=25 January 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125040153/https://era-japan.org/archives/709 | url-status=live }}

File:Minami Minegishi (cropped).jpg (pictured 2009) made international news in 2013 after a video of her with a shaved head as penance went viral. This followed news reports suggesting she was in a relationship, which led to her demotion in AKB48.]]

Most idols are not allowed to form romantic relationships or must obtain permission from their agencies to get married. Yasushi Akimoto, the producer of AKB48, likened the group's dating ban to similar dating bans for baseball teams competing at the {{transliteration|ja|Kōshien}}, where dating is seen as a distraction from preparing for tournaments.{{cite news | url=https://www.j-cast.com/2012/12/03156496.html | title=AKBに「恋愛禁止令」なんてなかった？ 秋元氏「僕は一度も言ってない」発言で波紋 | language=ja | work=J-Cast | date=3 December 2012 | access-date=18 June 2021 | archive-date=18 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218232953/https://www.j-cast.com/2012/12/03156496.html | url-status=live }} On the other hand, critics have suggested a dating ban is implemented in order to sell a fantasy of idols being accessible to their fans and disagreed with them for being inhumane. The Japan Times noted that aside from talent agencies, idol fan culture has contributed to this, especially with male fans of female idols; male fans buy into the idea of "{{transliteration|ja|moe}}", which fetishizes weakness and submissiveness while asserting "complete control" over the girls' sexual independence.

Several idols who were confirmed to have been dismissed, suspended, demoted, or forced to leave their groups following reports of them dating or having sexual relations include Mari Yaguchi,{{cite news | url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/201710240000349.html | script-title=ja:矢口真里がモー娘。脱退引き金の小栗旬との恋愛語る | language=ja | work=Nikkan Sports | date=24 October 2017 | access-date=8 April 2019 | archive-date=8 April 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408182416/https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/201710240000349.html | url-status=live }} Ai Kago,{{cite web|url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/face/news/20080418p2g00m0dm010000c.html|title=Ex-Morning Musume star Ai Kago blazing a trail back to top (using a cigarette lighter)|first=Ryan|last=O'Connell|work=Mainichi Shimbun |date= 22 April 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421195215/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/face/news/20080418p2g00m0dm010000c.html |archive-date=21 April 2008 }} Aya Hirano,{{cite news | url=https://www.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20110804-292695.html | title=Japanese pop star sacked over sex scandal | work=AsiaOne | date=4 August 2011 | access-date=4 August 2021 | archive-date=28 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228235935/https://www.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20110804-292695.html | url-status=live }} Rino Sashihara,{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/08/for-japans-justin-biebers-no-selena-gomezes-allowed/261181/ | title=For Japan's Justin Biebers, No Selena Gomezes Allowed | work=The Atlantic | date=16 August 2012 | access-date=4 August 2021 | archive-date=17 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517031530/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/08/for-japans-justin-biebers-no-selena-gomezes-allowed/261181/ | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Patrick | last=St. Michel | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/05/30/music/rino-sashihara-can-one-idol-beat-system/ | title=Rino Sashihara: Can one 'idol' beat the system? | work=The Japan Times | date=30 May 2019 | access-date=4 August 2021 | archive-date=5 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305080254/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/05/30/music/rino-sashihara-can-one-idol-beat-system/ | url-status=live }} and Minami Minegishi.{{cite magazine | first=Catherine | last=Komuro | url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/sacrificial-idols/j-pop-teen-dreams-become-nightmares | title=Sacrificial idols: in J-pop, Teen Dreams Become Nightmares | magazine=Bitch | issue=77 | date=9 January 2018 | access-date=4 August 2021 | archive-date=4 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804081010/https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/sacrificial-idols/j-pop-teen-dreams-become-nightmares | url-status=live }} Minegishi, in particular, caught international media attention after her apology video went viral, causing international criticism over the management of her group, AKB48, as well as the Japanese idol industry. A talent agency filed a lawsuit against a 17-year-old former idol singer for accepting an invitation to a hotel room from two male fans, which had caused her group to disband within the first 3 months of their debut.{{cite news | first=Eric | last=Stimson | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-09-20/idol-fined-650000-yen-for-dating-contract-violation/.93113 | title=Idol Fined 650,000 Yen for Dating Contract Violation | work=Anime News Network | date=20 September 2015 | access-date=19 August 2020 | archive-date=8 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108093354/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-09-20/idol-fined-650000-yen-for-dating-contract-violation/.93113 | url-status=live }} In September 2015, Judge Akitomo Kojima, along with the Tokyo District Court, ruled in favor of the talent agency and fined the woman to pay {{JPY|650,000}}, stating that the dating ban was necessary for idols to "win the support of male fans." In January 2016, a similar lawsuit filed with the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of a 23-year-old former idol, with Judge Kazuya Hara stating that the dating ban "significantly restricts the freedom to pursue happiness."{{cite news | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/19/national/pop-idol-right-pursue-happiness-not-liable-damages-breach-dating-ban-court/ | title=Court rules pop idol has right to pursue happiness, can date | work=The Japan Times | date=19 January 2016 | access-date=19 August 2020 | archive-date=20 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920225838/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/19/national/pop-idol-right-pursue-happiness-not-liable-damages-breach-dating-ban-court/ | url-status=live }}

Since handshake and other related events allow fans to be in close proximity with idols, critics also believe that marketing the idols' accessibility may cause fans to be unable to distinguish between fantasy and real life. Talent agencies have also been criticized over offering inadequate protection towards idols after several incidents of violent attacks on female idols such as the saw attack on Anna Iriyama and Rina Kawaei, the stabbing of Mayu Tomita, and the assault of Maho Yamaguchi.{{cite news | first1=Eriko | last1=Jozuka | first2=Yoko | last2=Yakatsuki | url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/16/asia/japanese-pop-idol-sexual-assault-apology-bullying-intl/index.html | title=Why a pop idol's stand against her assault sparked outrage in Japan | date=16 January 2019 | publisher=CNN | access-date=23 January 2019 | archive-date=30 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130104639/https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/16/asia/japanese-pop-idol-sexual-assault-apology-bullying-intl/index.html | url-status=live }}

{{see also|Junior idol#Legal status|Child pornography laws in Japan}}

Idols are often sexualized, especially female idols, some of whom also work as gravure idols and have suggestive swimsuit photo shoots that are published in magazines targeted towards adults.{{cite news | first=Hiroko | last=Tabuchi | author-link=Hiroko Tabuchi |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/business/global/10manga.html | title=In Tokyo, a Crackdown on Sexual Images of Minors | work=The New York Times | date=2011-02-09 | access-date=2020-08-20 | archive-date=5 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105232105/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/business/global/10manga.html | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Jennifer | last=Sherman | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-01-17/akb48-rumored-to-end-swimsuit-gravure-photos-for-underage-members/.126498 | title=AKB48 Rumored to End Swimsuit Gravure Photos for Underage Members | work=Anime News Network | date=2018-01-17 | access-date=2020-08-20 | archive-date=9 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109031114/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-01-17/akb48-rumored-to-end-swimsuit-gravure-photos-for-underage-members/.126498 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Jun | last=Hongo | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/05/03/national/photos-of-preteen-girls-in-thongs-now-big-business/ | title=Photos of preteen girls in thongs now big business | work=The Japan Times | date=2007-05-03 | access-date=2020-08-24 | archive-date=28 October 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028204823/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/05/03/national/photos-of-preteen-girls-in-thongs-now-big-business/ | url-status=live }} With the idol system commodifying youth, the industry is criticized for putting minors at risk, most particularly junior idols, who are aged 15 years and younger.{{cite news | first=Harumi | last=Ozawa | url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/01/26/little-idols-japans-dark-obsession-with-young-girls.html | title='Little idols': Japan's dark obsession with young girls | agency=Agence France-Presse | via=The Jakarta Post | date=2018-01-27 | access-date=2020-08-20 | archive-date=28 June 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628142525/https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/01/26/little-idols-japans-dark-obsession-with-young-girls.html | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Jack | last=Seale | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/mjnyvy/unreported-world--s39-e1-schoolgirl-pin-ups/ | title=Unreported World: Series 39 - Episode 1: Schoolgirl Pin-ups | work=Radio Times | access-date=2020-08-20 | archive-date=17 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117093654/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/mjnyvy/unreported-world--s39-e1-schoolgirl-pin-ups/ | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Martin | last=Fackler | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/world/asia/japan-bans-possession-of-child-pornography-after-years-of-pressure.html | title=Japan Outlaws Possession of Child Pornography, but Comic Book Depictions Survive | work=The New York Times | date=2014-06-18 | access-date=2020-08-20 | archive-date=12 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021646/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/world/asia/japan-bans-possession-of-child-pornography-after-years-of-pressure.html | url-status=live }}{{cite news | first=Tash | last=Reith Banks | url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/15/tokyo-pink-bus-campaign-seeks-to-protect-schoolgirls-from-escort-scouts-jk-business | title=Schoolgirls for sale: why Tokyo struggles to stop the 'JK business' | work=The Guardian | date=2019-06-15 | access-date=2020-08-20 | archive-date=23 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823032641/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/15/tokyo-pink-bus-campaign-seeks-to-protect-schoolgirls-from-escort-scouts-jk-business | url-status=live }} Idol swimsuit photo books are often sold in the same sections as pornographic titles. In 1999, Japan banned production and distribution of sexually explicit depictions of minors, which outlawed photo books depicting nude junior idols. Multiple junior idol distributors closed after possession of child pornography was made illegal in Japan in 2014.{{cite news | url=https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame/363414/ | title="聖地"も閉店 ジュニアアイドルＤＶＤビジネスはあと半年の命か | language=ja | work=Tokyo Sports | date=2015-02-07 | access-date=2020-08-25 | archive-date=5 June 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605123937/https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame/363414/ | url-status=live }} However, junior idol content currently stands on legally ambiguous ground due to open interpretations of child pornography laws in Japan.{{cite magazine | first=Patrick W. | last=Galbraith | url=http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/innocence-lost-the-dark-side-of-akihabara | title=Innocence lost: the dark side of Akihabara | magazine=Metropolis | via=JapanToday | date=2009-07-08 | access-date=2021-05-10 | archive-date=12 March 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312183910/https://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/innocence-lost-the-dark-side-of-akihabara | url-status=live }}

In 2017, through a survey conducted by the Japanese government, 53 out of 197 women contracted with talent agencies stated that they had been asked to take part in pornographic photo or video shoots of which were not previously disclosed nor included in their contracts. 17 of the women stated that they had performed the request anyway.{{cite news | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/02/08/national/crime-legal/26-9-of-aspiring-models-idols-have-been-asked-to-perform-sex-acts-for-the-camera-survey/ | title=26.9% of aspiring models, idols have been asked to perform sex acts for the camera: survey | work=The Japan Times | date=2017-02-08 | accessdate=2022-09-10 | archive-date=10 September 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910230727/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/02/08/national/crime-legal/26-9-of-aspiring-models-idols-have-been-asked-to-perform-sex-acts-for-the-camera-survey/ | url-status=live }}

{{see also|List of Japanese idols|List of Japanese gravure idols|List of net idols}}

{{div col|content=

• Alternative idol
• AV idol
• Gravure idol
• List of Japanese gravure idols
• Junior idol
• Korean idol
• Net idol
• List of net idols
• Taiwanese idol
• Teen idol

}}

{{reflist|3}}

{{portalbar|Japan}}

{{Wiktionary|アイドル}}

{{commons category|Idols from Japan}}

Category:Stock characters in anime and manga

Category:Japanese popular culture

Japanese idols

Category:Japanese youth culture