AKB48's sister group HKT48 that is based in Hakata, Fukuoka, made their CD debut on March 20th, and held a handshake event at Yomiuri Land Open Theater EAST, which 5,000 fans attended.

It's been a year and 4 months since HKT48 made their theater performance debut on November 26, 2011. The members, who have finally met their goal to make a CD debut since the formation, announced to the fans happily and cheerfully, "We, HKT48, made our CD debut today! And this is our first nationwide handshake event as HKT48 solely."

During the event, the girls performed a total of 5 songs including the debut song.

After performing their debut song "Suki! Suki! Skip!", member Sashihara Rino, who transferred to the group from AKB48, back in June of 2012, was moved to tears by looking at the venue filled with many fans. Sashihara explained to the fellow members the reason for her tears, "Because, I was thinking that not many people would come to this event. I was moved to see that many people attended as some people can't even sit down. I'm happy."

Seeing Sashihara shedding tears,�Tashima Meru, who served as the center for the debut song, wept in sympathy. When asked why she cried, Tashima said, "Tears just came out when I saw Sasshi-san crying." She also said regarding her center position, "At first I was not sure what to do as I was full of�anxiety�and pressure, but now I feel like I don't want to waste this chance."

According to Oricon's daily ranking for March 20, HKT48's debut single "Suki! Suki! Skip!" sold 205,278 copies on its release day. It seems they are likely to top the next weekly chart.

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Source & Image: Oricon �(1 + 2)