The early members of AKB48�recently celebrated general producer Akimoto Yasushi's 57th birthday.

On May 18, former member�Maeda Atsuko updated her Twitter with a photo of Akimoto holding a birthday cake while being surrounded by Maeda, Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna, Minegishi Minami, and Shinoda Mariko. She wrote, "Akimoto-san's birthday�party. Happy Birthday. We were finally able to get together."

Shinoda, who is another former member, also updated her official Instagram account with a group shot. "At the suggestion of AtsuMina, we celebrated Akimoto-sensei's birthday," she said.�

Fans were excited to see the early members reunite and left comments such as, "AKB family," "It's been so long. It's making me cry," and "the early members are the best!"

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