AKB48 (short for Akihabara48) is a Japanese all-female idol group based in Akihabara, Tokyo, where they have their own theater in Don Quijote. The group, established in 2005, is produced by Akimoto Yasushi and signed under King Records, originally from DefSTAR RECORDS/Sony Music Japan. Currently the group consists of five teams: Team A, Team K, Team B, Team 4 and Team 8. In addition, the group also has trainees called Kenkyuusei, and an international transference team, Team Kaigai. They hold the record for highest overall single sales for a female group on the Oricon charts and also hold the Guinness World Record for world's "largest pop group".
