Aspiring pre-teen popstars in Japan have a reported growing fanbase of lonely middle age men. These ‘junior idols’ are part of a controversial subculture in booming Japan’s music industry.
At a theatre in Tokyo, then eleven-year-old Yune Sakurai sings and dances for her fans, mostly middle-aged men. As she sings on stage, her audience of male fans clap along. Others take photos of her performance with long-range camera lens.
These men are fans of junior idols. They paid around $55 AUD to attend Yune’s concert. And will pay more to buy her merchandise, talk to Yune and take her photo after the concert - all under the watchful eye of Yune’s mother and manager.
Japan
Karimata
Okinawa
United-kingdom
France
Neko
Miyagi
French
Japanese
Masahiro-yamada
Young