As it is the case with many of Japan’s popular musical artists, Anatashia’s fans often send them gifts, one of which turned out not as harmless as it appeared.
Anatashia are not a singing band; the six young men make up a dance troupe, marketed very similarly to the vocalist idol artists with choreographed routines, hip get-ups, and sugar-sweet looks, irresistible to teenage girls.
They constantly get their share of fan mail and gifts, including a lot of stuffed animals. But one of the teddy bears they received was more than just a symbol for affection: it also contained a GPS tracker.
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The group released the following statement on their official Twitter page:
【お知らせ】 皆さまいつもたくさんの差し入れありがとうございます しかし残念なことに先日いただいた差し入れのぬいぐるみの中にGPSの発信機と思われる物が入っておりました。 大変悪質であり危険なため、今後ぬいぐるみの差し入れは禁止とさせていただきます。 ご理解の程よろしくお願いします。
The intent seems to have been that the stuffed animal would end up either at the group’s practice studio or in one of the member’s homes, giving the fan a way of determining the location in order to stalk or surprise Anatashia’s members. In reaction to the news, several more scrupulous fans said that whoever gave the GPS-hiding stuffed animal should be blacklisted from all future performances and fan events, but its unclear whether the gift was mailed to the group (in which case the mailing address could be determined, and perhaps from it the sender’s identity) or if it was simply dropped into the present collection boxes that are often set up at live appearances by idols and idol-like performers.
