The Culture of Japanese-style Idol Girl Groups’ Fans in Thailand During the Mid-2000s to 2020: A Case Study of AKB48’s and BNK48’s Fans

Abstract

This article aims to study the culture of Japanese-style idol girl groups’ fans in Thailand during the mid-2000s to the year of 2020 by studying the case of AKB48 idol group’s fans and BNK48 idol group’s fans in order to understand the cultural changes among Japanese-style idol girl groups’ fans from the beginning period when entertainment cultures of Japanese idol industry were introduced to Thai people in the mid-2000s during the context of Cool Japan campaign – the Japan’s cultural strategy aiming to disseminate and export its pop cultures abroad to increase the country income. When the entertainment cultures of Japanese idol artists, namely AKB48, came into Thailand, subcultures emerged among the fans. These fans were characterized as “cultists” who consumed the artists’ merchandises and created a network of relationship within the fandom group. Later, in the mid-2010s, a Thai businessman bought the copyright from the Japanese company to found an idol girl group, BNK48, then a fandom was built. BNK48’s fans culture comprised both AKB48’s fans culture and its own unique culture developed in a specific context of Thai society. For example, BNK48’s fans applied a culture of “fan projects” from K-pop artists’ fans to support the BNK48 band. The fans were also “active consumers” which were different from the AKB48 fans in the previous period.