But Singapore is out of the way for westerners; access to Japan is much easier (and usually slightly less costly) for most, and really Australia/NZ is the only exception. The REAL big advantage of Singapore in that sense is it is English-speaking and (maybe) you can get tickets to the show on a whim.

Secondly, I’m pretty sure this is going to be a loss-leader type of affair. I find it hard to believe that they are going to be able to recoup their cost in any reasonable amount of time, given the high opportunity cost of bringing AKB members to Singapore, not to mention the airfares. This is perhaps, as you said, a strategic move to bring awareness of idol-pop to the south-east asian region.

Finally, it really makes me wonder if the stereotypically ‘cheap’ Singaporean fan will really pay to watch more than one AKB performance a year. I mean, let’s face it – AKB, while fascinating, does not provide a whole lot in terms of artistic / musical value during their performances. How much will the fans here pay for thinly disguised fan-service? Time will tell.

Frankly, I have a strong suspicion that local interest will dry up within a year or so. Maybe we’ll see the theater packed with regional tourists who find it cheaper to travel to Singapore than to Japan, or by curious westerners who don’t want to brave the ordeal of getting a ticket in Japan.