“There are many mentally unwell girls in AKB48” claims ex-member of Japan’s top idol singer group soranews24.com

Five-year veteran talks about indirect “cries for help.”Being an idol singer in Japan is at least as much about the personality you radiate as the vocals you produce.
Sure, idol songs may be almost invariably sweet and sugary, but the performers themselves are expected to be even more cheerful, cultivating the sort of earnest, plucky persona that attracts loyal fanbases.
But every day isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for idols, even those who are part of the industry’s most successful and prestigious group, AKB48.
On January 14, former AKB48 member Miki Nishino, who was with the Akihabara-based unit from 2012 to 2017, appeared on streaming service Abema TV’s Ogiya Hagi no Busu TV talk show.
As an example, look at the ongoing situation with idol Maho Yamaguchi, a member of AKB48’s Niigata-based sister group NGT48.