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School Idols to Become Reality at Nagano High School

School idols will become a reality in Japan's 2026-2027 academic year with Nagano Nichidai High School's October 1 announcement that it has created an official Idol Club. According to the school, members of the Idol Club will not only produce and release original songs, but also perform at concerts, events and television and radio programs within Nagano Prefecture and across Japan after school and on weekends. Nagano Nichidai High School also plans on hiring “top-class instructors” to provide dance and vocal lessons.

Nagano Nichidai High School held a demo lesson during the school's open campus day on October 18. A second demo lesson was slated for the school's open campus day on November 8. The club will recruit members from the incoming freshman class when the new school year starts next spring.

The Shinmai Mainichi Shimbun paper noted the high school's principal, Yoshihisa Soeya, proposed the club. Soeya told the newspaper, “We want to provide opportunities for students who love singing and dancing without going to Tokyo while also contributing to the local community.”

The Shinmai Mainichi Shimbun report further notes the Idol Club will be treated as an “training club” along with the school's baseball and soccer clubs. As such, students who meet certain requirements, such as dance or singing experience, may be eligible for admissions on recommendation, but the club will also welcome members without previous experience.

Another high school, the private Saku Chosei High School in Saku, Nagano Prefecture, did form an ongoing idol group after establishing a performing arts study course in the 2023 school year, but it stopped recruiting members. Nagano's govenrment is unaware of any other high school with an idol club in the prefecture.

Sources: Nagano Nichidai High School, Nagano Nichidai High School Idol Club's X/Twitter account, Shinmai Mainichi Shimbun via Hachima Kikō