Minami Takahashi is a Japanese idol, singer, tarento and a former member of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48. She is in Team A of AKB48. She became the first General Director of AKB48 and its sister groups. In an interview with Nippon Television in June 2010, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto says she is the "eldest daughter of the 48 sisters". She is also regarded as "soul of AKB", and her motto "Making efforts will be paid" has inspired many members of AKB48. She is commonly part of the main lineup of AKB48 singles. She was a member of the AKB48 sub-group no3b, alongside fellow AKB48 graduates Minami Minegishi and Haruna Kojima. She has a business alliance with Mama&Son Inc.
Minami Takahashi performing at the Anime Expo AKB48 live in Los Angeles, 2010.
Minami Takahashi at the opening ceremony for the 4th annual Tokyo Detention House Exhibition, October 2015.
AKB48 is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with its own theater and performing daily so fans could always see them live. This "idols you can meet" concept includes teams which can rotate performances and perform simultaneously at several events and "handshake" events, where fans can meet group members. Akimoto has expanded the AKB48 concept to several girl groups within Japan, and internationally in Mainland China, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Philippines.
AKB48 performing at the Nokia Theater (now Peacock Theater) in Los Angeles, California in July 2010
AKB48 Theater in Akihabara, Tokyo
AKB48 preparing for its debut on March 26, 2006
AKB48 live at Japan Expo 2009 (Paris)