Japanese Underground Idols True Idols? Or, Indentured Servants?

One would have thought that indentured servitude operating the open had come to an end.  In the case of what is known as underground idols are given the contracts they're made to sign indentured servitude comes immediately to mind.  What's even more astonishing is that these women are not covered in the the labour standards laws because these contracts exist in a grey area.

 What far fewer know is the subculture that has spawned "chika idols," or underground idols, a phenomenon that has grown at an incredible rate, and brought with it some serious downsides. But, like their successful idol cousins, underground idols still dream of making it big.

In many cases, the underground idol groups, which now number in the hundreds, are being taken advantage of by exploitative production companies who prey on their ambitions and force them to sign exclusive long-term contracts that all but make them slaves to the entertainment industry, experts say.

Four former members of the chika idol group Nijiiro Fanfare, which gained popularity through internet live streaming, demanded that they be able to leave the group because of what they described as intolerable working conditions.

Later, one of them was effectively told in a meeting with the female production manager that she would never find work in the idol business again. "Don't ever try to become an (idol). I will crush you with everything I've got," she was told.