For those who may not have read, the difficulty exists in that Akimoto's director Hiroi Ouji, aged 56, spent the night at her apartment. The scandal arises in the potential appearance of impropriety, as Akimoto is prohibited from dating in her position as a member of AKB48. My outrage over this has to do with the lack of respect by the public and AKB48 management for fundamental human rights and the lack of support from Akimoto's other fans for her freedom and privacy. There are two perspectives on this issue, one moderate and liberal, and one moral and radical, that both should condemn the policy of AKB48 management and vindicate Akimoto's freedom and privacy.
The moderate liberal position would acknowledge that all people have certain fundamental human rights, including the right to privacy, sexual freedom, and association. One who actually believed that these freedoms were rights would acknowledge that such rights are inalienable. Inalienable means that one cannot trade them away. In this context, it means that Akimoto cannot legitimately trade her rights to privacy, sexual freedom, and association away for employment by AKB48 management and it was fundamentally wrong of management to ask her to surrender these fundamental rights. Thus, it is proper and right for Akimoto to have anyone over at her home at any hour of the day or night, for any purposes, sexual or otherwise, and it is no one's business but her own. The party in the wrong here is the management of AKB48 for demanding of her a surrender of her basic human rights as a condition of employment.
The moral position must ask, what morally justifies AKB48 management demanding the right to control, in any way, the sexual and private lives of their employees? If we assume the near universal moral criteria of treating others as one would like to be treated, or the prohibition against treating others as a means to an end (while requiring that we treat all as an ends in themselves), AKB48 management is again the party in the wrong. Under no circumstances would the management (or any of us) like to have another control our sexual lives. Thus it is wrong for AKB48 management to demand control Akimoto's private life in exchange for her employment.
Those that claim to support Akimoto Sayaka should be expressing their outrage that anyone has any claim to regulate Akimoto's private and sexual life. It is not the business of any employer, or anyone else, what Akimoto choses to do in the privacy of her own home with the consenting adults of her choice. I love the members of AKB48 and I must express my outrage that their membership in the band is conditioned upon following the dictates of management regarding their sexual behavior. The dating and sex lives of AKB48 members are their own business and should be left that way.
Akimoto Sayaka is destined to become the ruler of Japan and she has told me (tongue-in-cheek) that she intends to use the military to make this so, if necessary. Her strength and power as a leader in AKB48 is part of the greatness and success of Team K. The scandal here is not that Akimoto might have had sex with someone that is older than her father. The scandal is that the fans of AKB48 continue to allow management to claim to have the right to control the sex lives of the young women of AKB48. I am sure Akimoto will put this scandal behind her. It is my hope that she will have the opportunity to have all those who have wronged her at this time put to death when she comes to rule Japan. In the meantime, all those who really support the ladies of AKB48 should do all they can to end management's improper power over the personal lives of the members of AKB48.
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