Big Hit Entertainment has released an official statement addressing their announced collaboration with AKB48’s executive producer Yasushi Akimoto.

On September 13, it was reported by Japanese outlets such as Billboard Japan and Nikkan Sports that BTS would be working with Yasushi Akimoto for their upcoming Japanese single. According the reports, he would be writing the lyrics for their planned title track “Bird.”

The announcement was met with concerns from both ARMYs [BTS’s official fan club name] and the general public in Korea, who cited claims of Yasushi Akimoto holding right-wing political leanings as a reason for caution. Previous controversies surrounding his involvement in songs with misogynistic lyrics became a point of contention as well. Korean ARMYs began to request feedback from Big Hit Entertainment and expressed their concern that the collaboration may have a negative effect on BTS’s image and future career.

In response to this, Big Hit released an official statement on September 15 on BTS’s official fancafe that read, “Hello. This is Big Hit Entertainment. This is a notice regarding the upcoming Japanese single album. We are fully aware of the fans’ concerns regarding the Japanese single album that is scheduled to be released in November. We are currently in discussions regarding this matter, so we please ask for more time.”

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