My translation of the summary from https://jbbs.shitaraba.net/bbs/read.cgi/music/29852/1553736787 for 11/29 (Friday) with added translations of some Twitter posts provided by @speranzom.
Note: I try to repeat the Japanese thread as closely as possible here. Where I do make some editorial additions I’ll put them in [ ], though I do occasionally soften the posters’ tone.
- Maho’s Instastory
- Riko’s tweets
- Rena’s tweets
- Riko’s appearance on cookpadLive
- Riko’s stage show flyer (leaflet)
- NGT kenkyuusei Takahashi Nanami had Maho’s photobook
- Article in yesterday’s Nikkan Gendai: “Will Yamaguchi Maho make her debut as an actress with NHK?”
- Shogakukan, which has sold the AKB official calendar since 2011, will not put one out this year.
- In-person observations of Nozomi and Taiyo parks
- https://i.imgur.com/J6mhCLL.jpg
- https://i.imgur.com/PHO9zMi.jpg
- https://i.imgur.com/Mn2ljYs.jpg
- [@speranzom has helpfully provided translations of the posts above
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200157712492847104
- Why is it that Yamaguchi-san went over to the public park with the crime perpetrators following the incident, and in the evening?
Is it because she felt no sense of danger? - As many people are aware,
there exist two public parks near the building complex [*] which was the scene of the incident. - I went there to the public parks at sundown.
Based on what I have understood while there, I’m going to write down my personal remarks about it.
#NGT48AssaultIncident
(continues)- [* The building in question is the Maison des Riches (メゾン・ド・リッシュ) apartment complex in Niigata. This was first surmised by netizens all the way back in early January based on a series of subsequent leaks on Twitter, more prominently from one user “hiro14108348” who immediately shared information on the nearby establishments, relative position (i.e. to the station), features such as automatic lock, rent prices, and what rooms each apartment consisted of, with another close candidate being the Maison des Liesse (メゾン・ド・リエス) because of similarities. Eventually this turned out correct: the defendant’s finalized statement papers confirmed the building of the incident as being the Mansion des Riches, what with naming it explicitly inside]
- Why is it that Yamaguchi-san went over to the public park with the crime perpetrators following the incident, and in the evening?
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200157746126917632
- (continued)
In the recorded voice data from right after the incident,
Yamaguchi-san expressly refuses the idea of continuing having a talk in the vicinity of the building, saying “Other people may have misunderstandings about us, if there”, with the culprits saying “That public park is okay”.
As for which public park they implied to Yamaguchi-san with this sentence, one may imagine the perpetrators having pointed by finger at the direction of said park.
#NGT48AssaultIncident
(continues)
- (continued)
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200157770290348032
- (continued)
Had they pointed north, it would be the “Taiyou Park”
Had they pointed west, it would be the “Nozomi Park”
Both of them are about just a two minutes walk from the building of the incident, connected to it by a single straight path.
I went on to actually walk there.
(In the map, I have refrained from showing the building of the incident itself)
#NGT48AssaultIncident
(continues)
- (continued)
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200157888083218432
- (continued)
“Taiyou Park” (North)
The first thing greeting your eyes is the lights of a public toilet
This is the brightest source of light within this certain park.
There are also some other sources of light at the corners of the public park.
The source of lights around the center of it are turned off.
Of course, it’s not certain that it used to be the same also one year back, at the time of the incident, but overall it has a poorly-lit image about it.
#NGT48AssaultIncident
(continues)
- (continued)
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200157980852834304
- (continued)
“Nozomi Park” (West)
That inside of the park there are light sources is obvious, but since there are also billboards on the wall of the building adjacent to it, the lights of the lamps meant to brighten it up also have a reflection effect, which brightens up about half of this public park. The brightness is enough to make one feel it more than appropriate to have a talk there.
#NGT48AssaultIncident
(continues)
- (continued)
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200158004483518464
- (continued)
Now, at a stone throw’s distance from “Nozomi Park” there is actually a local police station.
At the time of being there, a patrol car was parked at the place. Which makes one imagine that policemen must be inside.
Of course, there must be also occasion when all the staff has scrambled out, but anyway it gives a sense of security that they would be able to intervene for you promptly when need be.
#NGT48AssaultIncident
(continues)
- (continued)
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200158007633436672
- (continued)
The time I went there to check was in mid-November, at just before 7 PM.
It may be very well possible that the situation may have changed because of the passage of time, what with being about one year since the incident, but presupposing that their state may not have changed so wildly since that time, then in the case of “Nozomi Park” it’s quite likely that they might have gone there even right after the incident took place.
#NGT48AssaultIncident
(continues)
- (continued)
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200158009571176449
- (continued)
Personally, I initially assumed that the place they went to was “Taiyou Park”, on the reasoning that if they had been at “Nozomi Park” the amount of traffic and passersby around it would have been too high, but I have change my idea after actually having a look there. - Even this time, the content is only what I have investigated in just a limited amount of time, so if there are any local people who knows better, as in “this part is wrong”, then feel free to point it out to me.]
- (continued)
- https://twitter.com/Jacques_V_/status/1200157712492847104
- (Rumor)
- “They will proceed by giving 8 a severe punishment and 3 reprimands. This will be the final dispensation of punishments.”
- “At first there were 11 members that were expected to be punished due to private connections with yakkai, and in the end one more was added due to a leak, so not all members will be punished.”
- https://i.imgur.com/v2nxYHp.png
- Riko’s tweet
- Rena’s tweet
- Riko’s tweet
- Notice the dates before it and after. Posts that Tano “liked” after the incident.
2 Comments
EinhanderX · December 2, 2019 at 12:03 pm
This remind me with a story famous among JET volunteers about some of them who stationed in Niigata around the same period. Don’t really like to speak it publicly, since I’m not even sure I fully grasp the detail, but it gives me quite a perspective about the group local incident and how things can be….surreal for our western mind.
I truly believe NGT attracted the wrong kind of fans. The one that thinks money buy all and the two that predominantly glorify their rocket rise but ignorant of the looming omen, or denial about it.
Both are perfect recipe for the disaster, which will happen sooner or later.
I’m not sure the group will recover. But more than that, I want their fans or former fans to learn of their past mistake. Because chance are, without learning, mankind tend to repeat the error.
SaitoWinterStar · December 2, 2019 at 7:18 pm
Ah, sounds like an interesting story… though I don’t think this is something that could only happen in Niigata. But I agree the former NGT manager seemed to revel in these kinds of fans; it’s not clear to me if AKS has learned a lesson about why that is bad, or just that it’s bad to get caught.