On December 8th, AKB48 members Maeda Atsuko, Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami, Sashihara Rino, and Takajo Aki attended a press conference for their new project with Google+.

Using Google+, the members will update information in various ways, allowing them to interact with overseas fans. Maeda commented, "I'm excited. I want to be able to have various interactions in order to be loved equally by people around the world." Meanwhile, Takahashi said, "These 6 years went by so quickly. I never thought a day like this, where we would be interacting with the world, would come. So I'm very happy."

On this day, it was announced that 260 members of AKB48, SKE48, and other AKB-related groups would be joining Google+. Since Google+ requires you to be at least 18-years old to create an account, members who are 17 and under will be updating information through an account called 'AKB48 Heyakko'. Additionally, a portion of the members' updates will be translated into English, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, and Korean. AKB48 also plans to live stream their performances through this service.

Along with her activities as AKB48, Maeda has been busy with her solo activities. She won 'The 3rd AKB38 General Elections' back in June, made her solo debut, and has been appearing in various dramas and movies. She expressed, "The general elections was a moment where I put more spirit into my work. It doesn't seem like this year is coming to an end. Even when it ends, I probably wouldn't think that it's over. That is how important this year was for me."

Shinoda also shared, "For me, it's janken. I never thought I was that strong in janken." Regarding their latest single, "Ue Kara Mariko", which has already sold over 1 million copies, she commented, "When I saw the news, I was impressed once again."

Check out photos from the event below!

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Source & Images: Mantan Web