Overseasidol.com — Former JKT48 member Haruka Nakagawa recently appeared on Wendi Cagur’s YouTube podcast, “NGOBROL DI WA” Episode 25.
In the show, she shared stories about her early days in the Japanese idol group AKB48, where she began her career at just 14 years old.
When host Andika asked about her first salary, Haruka smiled and revealed, “It was 40,000 yen per month”.
The hosts jokingly calculated that it equaled around four million rupiah at the time, leading to laughter in the studio.
Haruka added that joining AKB48 was the first time she earned her own money.
Haruka also talked about attending a special high school for artists. She explained that because of her busy idol schedule, she rarely took exams in person.
It is known that AKB48 members work under annual contracts with a fixed monthly salary based on their rank, activities, and years in the group.
In addition, they may receive extra bonuses from separate agency contracts, especially when they participate in solo promotions or sub-units outside the 48 Group.
