Sho Yonashiro, the 30-year-old leader of Japanese idol group JO1, recently filmed an episode of Mnet’s “M Countdown” at CJ ENM’s headquarters in Seoul. JO1, whose members are all Japanese, was formed ...

Many careers come with sacrifices, but few demand as much personal surrender as that of the Japanese idol. A hybrid of pop star, teen model, and influencer, idols have been a mainstay of Japanese pop ...