Big Hit Entertainment has made a decision regarding BTS’s collaboration with AKB48’s executive producer Yasushi Akimoto.

It was initially revealed on September 13 that BTS would be releasing a Japanese single album in November that included a new track “Bird,” with lyrics written by Yasushi Akimoto. This was met with concerns, which cited claims of the producer’s right-wing political leanings and his involvement in songs with misogynistic lyrics as reasons for caution.

Big Hit Entertainment first posted an official statement on September 15, acknowledging the concerns, and explained they were discussing the matter. On September 16, the agency announced their decision to not release the track altogether through BTS’s official fan cafe.

They stated, “The tracks included on the Japanese single album set to be released in November have changed as shown below due to production reasons. We apologize for the discomfort.” The announcement then listed out the original track list and the changed track list.

The album will still consist of Japanese versions of “Fake Love” and “Airplane pt. 2.” Instead of “Bird” (the collaboration with Yasushi Akimoto), the single album will include a remix of “IDOL” and a remix of the Japanese version of “Fake Love.”

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