AKB48 annual election

Members of Japan's girl pop group AKB48 perform ahead of an annual popularity "election" event at Tokyo's Budokan gymnasium June 6, 2012. In a three-hour show broadcast live from Tokyo's hallowed Budokan, 23-year-old Yuko Oshima was selected as leader and face of the group, which has been recognized by Guinness as the world's biggest girl pop group. AKB48 is known for its perky routines and high "kawaii," or cuteness, quotient. Every year, fans vote to determine 64 of the most popular girls out of a 237-member pool who are then rotated in and out of four main troupes and several affiliated groups according to their popularity.[Photo/Agencies]