Everyone in Japan appears to be yelling at a company that’s planning to make a buck off of a deceased artist with a new album that includes naked private photos of her. Even the governor of the prefecture from which the artist hails is lambasting the plan. However, the firm’s remaining defiant despite the backlash.
Yashiro Aki: Icon of enka music
Yashiro Aki was a renowned singer of enka, a type of traditional Japanese folk music that started as a form of political protest in the Meiji era. Born in 1950, the singer made her debut in 1971 with the album Even if Love Dies (愛は死んでも). She appeared on NHK’s famous Kohaku New Year’s Eve singing competition in 1973, appearing every year until 1993. (Her last appearance was in 2001.)
Yashiro went on to release dozens of albums and over 100 singles, and also made a name for herself as a TV star and actress, appearing in over two dozen dramas and a dozen or so movies. She was diagnosed in 2023 with anti-MDA5 antibody positive dermatomyositis. Yashiro passed away that same year on December 30th.
Company defends nudes in album: “We’re not a charity”
The rights to Yashiro’s music now belong to a company named New Century Records. The company has a website that looks like it was built in Geocities. However, it also has ownership of an extensive number of masters of various artists. Yashiro recorded for the company when it was known as Century Records between 1982 and 1986, giving them ownership of her music during that period.
The company’s current owners set off a firestorm of controversy when they announced they would release a new album of her collected works entitled Wasurenaide ne (忘れないでね; Don’t Forget Me). To boost sales, they announced that the 10-album CD would also contain two nude Polaroids of the singer between the ages of 24 and 25. The photos were taken by a company director during the time the two lived together.
“These are Yashiro Aki’s first ever nudes,” the site proclaims.
Social media lit up in anger over the decision. A post advertising the album on Instagram is full of comments, with people accusing New Century of exploiting Yashiro’s image by publishing photos she never meant for public consumption.
In a statement to press, a company spokesperson dismissed the backlash. “Dead people don’t have rights to their likeness,” they argued. “We’re not a charity. If people don’t like it, they can buy the rights from us.”
Kumamoto governor: Stop the sale!
Fans aren’t the only ones upset. Yashiro’s management agency says it’s doing what it can to fight the release of the CD or prevent its sale. They say they’re appealing to online music stores and retail outlets, asking them not to take pre-orders for the new release.
Even the governor of Kumamoto Prefecture lambasted the plan. “It’s extremely upsetting and hard to forgive,” Governor Kimura Takashi told the press. “I think its sales should be stopped.” Yashiro hails, fittingly enough, from the city of Yashiro in Kumamoto, which has named her an “honorary citizen” in recognition of her achievements.
Legally, no one may be able to stop New Century. But there’s little doubt that, morally, exploiting a dead star’s body without her permission is a nasty way to do business.
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Sources
八代亜紀さんヌード写真付きアルバム 発売元「慈善事業じゃない」発売に変更なし. LiveDoor News
報道にあるニューセンチュリーレコード社発表の問題作品について. Yashiro Music & Gallery
田中健、八代亜紀さん巡る騒動に言及「大変残念で怒りすら覚えます」「空の上の亜紀ちゃんは望んでいない筈」. Chunichi Shimbun
県民の誇り…八代亜紀さん「新アルバム中止すべき」熊本県知事が非難. Docomo News
