Member of J-Pop Girl Group NGT48 Apologizes for Discussing Assault

According to a report from NHK, Japan’s national broadcasting organization, Yamaguchi was approached in her apartment building on Dec. 8 by two men and allegedly grabbed in the face. The pair were arrested and released without being charged after saying they had wanted to talk to the star.

The 23-year-old star, the co-captain of NGT48's Team G, initially spoke about the situation during a live stream and then on Twitter on Tuesday, quickly gaining attention from fans and English-language blogs such as AsianJunkie and Arama Japan.

During both the video and on Twitter, Yamaguchi said she had been silent over the past month while waiting for the act’s management to take action but was coming forward to express concern over the safety of both herself and other members of NGT48, some of whom she said had faced similar situations. Prior to the live stream being cut short, the singer said she had feared for her life during the incident. In additional tweets translated by fans but that no longer appear on her Twitter account, Yamaguchi allegedly said that someone within NGT48 was accountable.

NGT48 premiered in 2015 as a Niigata-based group managed by AKS, the company behind AKB48 and its offshoots throughout Japan. According to Kotaku, Japanese media is reporting that NGT48 denies another member had a role in giving out Yamaguchi's home address.

Billboard has reached out through NGT48's website for a statement.

Last April, NGT48 topped the Japan Hot 100 with their third single "Haru Ha Doko Kara Kurunoka?"