J-pop boy band Arashi to emerge from hiatus for final concert tour before disbandment in 2026
The quintet - comprising Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto - have been on an indefinite hiatus since end-2020, after leader Ohno expressed his desire to take a break from the entertainment industry.
On May 6, the five members appeared together in one frame for the first time since 2020 in a video message uploaded to Arashi's official online fan club.
In it, they announced that they will be reviving their activities as a group and will kick off a concert tour in the spring of 2026, which in Japan generally refers to the months between March and May. And following the end of the tour, Arashi will disband in May 2026.
The announcement was also posted to their social media accounts on the same day, complete with an English translation.
The fan club video marked the first time Ohno, 44, made an official onscreen appearance since his hiatus. The rest of the members have continued to be active in show business as solo artistes.
Arashi announced their indefinite hiatus in 2019, and were going to go on tour in 2020. But their plans were thwarted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which halted live entertainment activities that year.
In the three-minute video, Aiba, 42, said: 'It has been almost four-and-a-half years since we went on hiatus, and we sincerely regret we were unable to perform for all of you during that last year of activities due to the pandemic.
'So in order to express our deep gratitude to all our fans, we have gathered together once again and have begun planning a concert tour to be held next spring.'
Sakurai, 43, referenced the group's setting up of their own company, Arashi Inc, in 2024 in conjunction with their management agency Starto Entertainment.
He said they have been talking about a revival for over a year, but it was not easy to decide how to go about it with each member facing different commitments and circumstances in life.
He added: 'With the establishment of Arashi Inc... (we decided to bring this tour) to life together with the many people who have helped and supported us over the past 20 years. And upon conclusion of this tour, we will end our activities as Arashi.'
While details surrounding the farewell concerts have not been finalised, Matsumoto, 41, said that the fan club will suspend applications for the time being so that existing members can be prioritised for concert tickets. Typically, a ballot system has been used within Arashi's fan club for concert ticket sales.
The group did not specify if their tour would venture beyond Japan, as their 2020 plans had included concerts at the Beijing National Stadium and in the United States.
Ninomiya, 41, said: 'With the end of Arashi's activities, our (fan club) will also close in May 2026, but we will continue to deliver as much content as possible throughout this next year for your fun and enjoyment, and will resume accepting new (fan club) memberships as soon as possible so that even those who are not yet members can enjoy the videos and more.'
Prior to their hiatus, Arashi, which debuted in 1999, were one of Japan's most successful boy bands. Their 20th anniversary compilation album, 5×20 All the Best!! 1999-2019, was the top-selling album globally in 2019, beating out even American superstar Taylor Swift's Lover.
While Ohno was completely away from the limelight during the hiatus, his bandmates have grown in their professional and personal capacities.
Singer-actor Ninomiya started his own YouTube channel, which now has close to five million subscribers, and will release his second solo cover album, OO To Ninomiya To 2, in July. He also starred in Japanese drama Vivant (2023). He married former television presenter Ayako Ito in 2019 and now has two daughters, aged four and two.
Sakurai continues to be active as an actor, variety show host and weekly anchor on news programme News Zero. He and Aiba both announced their marriages to non-celebrity women on the same day in 2021.
Sakurai has a two-year-old, but has not revealed the child's gender. Aiba, also active in hosting as well as stage plays, welcomed his firstborn, a boy, in 2022.
Matsumoto, 41, has largely focused on acting and behind-the-scenes concert production. He starred in the Japanese historical epic What Will You Do, Ieyasu? (2023) playing famed Japanese military general Tokugawa Ieyasu, and also recently acted as adviser for the production of J-pop boy band Snow Man's concert at the Japan National Stadium in April.
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