Music idol promises to post nightly selfies for a year as punishment for having boyfriend

A music idol has been punished for having a boyfriend (and presumably having sex with him) by being forced to post pictures of herself every night to prove she is alone.

Momoka Tojo of girl group Katacoto Bank recently turned 20 but photos of her celebrating her birthday last month with a young man, which she posted herself, quickly attracted the shock and ire of fans.

In response, Tojo quickly deleted the pictures, and the seven-member group (active since 2021), which is stylized KATACOTO * BANK, announced on July 27 that Tojo has promised to “maintain a measure of distance from her boyfriend” and to post “goodnight” pictures for the next year showing herself preparing to spend the night by herself.

“The most important thing for an idol to do is to be (sleep) by the side of each individual fan,” Katacoto Bank’s management said, implying that fans imagine that Tojo’s selfies are taken in their bedroom. The group even asked for fans’ help in policing Tojo’s love life. “Should it appear that her boyfriend is present in her photos, please inform us.”

Tojo’s first “goodnight” selfie dutifully appeared on her Twitter/X on July 28, and others have followed every night since.

Here are two examples of her “chastity selfies,” where Tojo is apparently trying to appear as girl-next-door as possible. We don’t think it’s part of the rules that she has to have the same hair style and clothing.

Tojo, who only joined the group in June, also posted a handwritten apology. “I sincerely apologize for my recent careless actions, which caused a great deal of trouble and stress to our fans and other related parties.”

A large part of the appeal of music idols, both at the mega groups and fringe underground groups, is that the idols are potentially available for fans, who pay money for meet-and-greets and to attend their concerts. This performed intimacy with fans drives a vital source of revenue for music idols in an age of streaming, when music sales are less lucrative.

However, as SoraNews24 perceptively notes, this seemingly punitive treatment might actually represent a maturation of attitudes toward music idols having relationships. In the past, the female idol in question would have faced instant and ignominious dismissal, or relegation to a lesser role, or the entire group might have gone on hiatus or even disbanded altogether.

AKB48 was particularly notorious for its treatment of its young female members, sending Rino Sashihara off to a sister group in Hakata, firing Yuka Masuda, and making 20-year-old Minami Minegishi shave her head for a tearful apology video (or at least, agreeing to this act of self-shaming) — and all for the “crime” of having sex.

Katacoto Bank and Tojo’s choice of damage control might seem bizarre but, if we look carefully, nowhere do they say that she will actually break up with her boyfriend or stop having a sex life. Nor, let’s be honest, does a posed selfie (which could be taken at any time) really prove that you are about to spend the night alone.

Moreover, this strategy hopefully assuages fan anger and is also a great year-long social media marketing stunt.