AKB48‘s Yokoyama Yui announced on SHOWROOM recently that the next 48 Group would be located in Mumbai, India. Yes, they are going with Mumbai48, or MUM48 (lol), and they’re set to debut in 2018.
重大発表は、
インド ムンバイ48発足でした!!海外姉妹グループが増えるということで、AKB48、より一層気を引き締めていきたいと思います。
仲間が増えるのは嬉しいですね✨オーディションなどもろもろ未定なので決まり次第!!#MUM48 pic.twitter.com/uX3378uzFT
— 横山由依 (@Yui_yoko1208) December 27, 2017
MUM48 are the fifth overseas 48 Group after JKT48 (Jakarta, Indonesia), BNK48 (Bangkok, Thailand), TPE48 (Taipei, Taiwan), and MNL48 (Manila, Philippines).
This news was later confirmed in a report, which I was waiting for because I kinda thought this was some kind of prank. From what I’ve gathered, everybody is as perplexed by this decision as you are right now.