TOKYO (AP) — AKB48 is not exactly a band. It’s an army of girls-next-door, ranked by its fans, and after taking Japan by storm it’s getting ready to go global.

More than 60 girls and young women, split into four teams, make up what is arguably Japan’s most popular pop group. It performs almost every day, has spawned affiliates across the country and has given rise to sister mega-groups in China, Taiwan and Indonesia.

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