HKT48

HKT48 (short for Hakata48) is a Japanese all-female idol group based in Hakata, Fukuoka, where they have their own theater in Hawks Town Mall. The group, established in 2011, is the fourth Japan-based sister group of AKB48. HKT48 is produced by Akimoto Yasushi and signed under Universal Music Japan. Currently the group consists of three teams: Team H, Team KIV and Team TII. In addition, the group also has trainees called kenkyuusei.

History
Plans for a group entitled HKT48 were first revealed by AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto on 19 November 2008. The group takes its name from its proposed base location of Hakata-ku, Fukuoka. HKT48 was officially announced on 1 May 2011 at an AKB48 handshake event. Instead of the previously targeted Hakata, the HKT48's theater will instead be based in the Hawks Town Mall based in neighboring Chūō-ku, Fukuoka. The group is the third AKB48 sister group to be launched, after the groups SKE48 and NMB48. This location is next to the Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome. In addition, it was announced that the group will be accepting applications from girls whose age is between 11 and 22. The first-round of the first-ever HKT48 audition will take place from 31 May 2011, and successful applicants took part in the second round of auditions, consisting of a singing and dancing test, in the first half of July 2011.

HKT48's 21 first generation members were first revealed at an AKB48 handshake event on 23 October 2011. Of these 21 members, 17 of them are junior high school students or below, and two of the members are elementary school students. The youngest member of the group, Natsumi Tanaka, was 11 years old at the time of the announcement. She said that "joining AKB48 is my ambition since I was 5 years old, so it feels like a dream to be in this group.". The oldest member is Yoko Sugamoto, who is 17 years old at the time of the announcement. Altogether, the average age of the group is 13.8 years old, the youngest average age amongst all of the AKB48-related groups. The group will have their debut performance in the HKT48 theater at the end of 2011.

On January 11, 2014, HKT had a Team Shuffle, the shuffle happened at the HKT48 Kyushu 7 Prefecture Tour ~Kawaii Ko ni wa Tabi wo Saseyo~. The shuffle will only take effect in the spring.