KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — KLP48, will be the new Malaysian sister group of Japan’s most successful girl group AKB48.

Terada Nanaki, the chief executive officer of Superball Inc, which handles AKB48 overseas sister groups, was reported making the announcement on 48Circle.

KLP48 will be the tenth overseas sister group of AKB48, which includes JKT48 in Indonesia, BNK48 and CGM48 in Thailand, MNL48 in the Philippines, AKB48 Team SH in Shanghai and AKB48 Team TP in Taipei.

More details on future activities of KLP48, such as the audition process, theatre location and debut single are expected to be announced later.

Named after the central Tokyo district of Akihabara, where the group’s theatre is located, AKB48 first began 16 years ago when SKE48 was formed in 2008 as a girl group — performing daily at its own theatre in Sakae, Nagoya.

Since then, it has become the most popular girl group in Japan and at one time, the fifth best-selling girl group worldwide.

The group, made up of teenage girls who perform in school uniforms, has been described as a social phenomenon as their popularity stems from an ‘idols you can meet’ concept, which allows fans to interact with the members through live performances, handshake events and social media.