On Monday, New Century Records released Wasurenaide — meaning “Don’t forget me” — a collection of songs by the late Enka artist Aki Yashiro. Yet rather than just focusing on her music, including popular tracks such as “Funauta” and “Ame no Bojo,” the Kagoshima-based company decided to try to boost sales by including two fully nude photographs of the singer when she was in her mid-20s. The pictures were shot by an individual she was living with at the time.
Online Petition Gathers More Than 50,000 Signatures
New Century Records’ decision to release the photos along with the CD has been heavily criticized online. A petition titled “Protect Aki Yashiro’s dignity and stop revenge porn,” has, at the time of writing, amassed more than 50,000 signatures. It was started by Keiichi Aoyama, who wrote, “If this is released, all female artists will work in fear of the possibility of their dignity being trampled upon after their death.”
Makoto Ono, president of Yashiro Music and Gallery, issued a statement about the pictures on April 14. “The publication of this controversial work is an extremely unpleasant event and is absolutely unacceptable,” he wrote. “I myself have once again recognized the weight of the responsibility entrusted to me by Aki Yashiro, both during her lifetime and after her death. I’m prepared to take all possible measures to protect Aki Yashiro’s honor in the face of such barbaric acts.”
Takashi Kimura, the governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, where Yashiro was born, also weighed in on the issue. At a press conference on April 16, he said, “It’s unacceptable. The release should be canceled.” Despite the backlash, New Century Records refused to back down. Speaking to The Asahi Shimbun, President Hiroshi Hayakawa said the company bought the master recording rights to several of Yashiro’s songs along with her public and private photographs around a quarter of a century ago. “There is also a purchase agreement,” he said, adding, “It’s just business.”
About Aki Yashiro
Aki Yashiro was born in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, in 1950 and took her stage name from her hometown. After working as a bus tour guide, she eventually fulfilled her dream of becoming a singer, making her debut in 1971 at the age of 21. Her first big hit, “Namida Goi,” was released two years later. In 1980, she won the Japan Record Award. She was the first female Enka singer to have seven top 10 singles on the main Oricon chart. Yashiro died in 2023 at the age of 73.
