Japanese Pop Fans Duped by Computerized Star

AKB 48's new star isn't actually human
By Sarah Whitmire,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 23, 2011 3:28 PM CDT

Japanese all-girl pop group AKB48 caused quite a stir among fans when it featured a mysterious seventh member named Aimi Eguchi in a candy commercial. For good reason: It turns out she's not actually human, reports Singularity Hub. Though Eguchi has a profile page on the band website like the other girls—which details her age, hometown, and hobbies—she is nothing more than a computerized composite of the group's six living and breathing members. Click for more on the story, including the convoluted voting that determines band members, or to read about Japan’s other non-breathing pop star, Hatsune Miku. (More Japan stories.)

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