Latest news with #ArashiInc
Japan Forward
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
Arashi to Hold Final Tour in 2026 Before Disbanding
このページを 日本語 で読む The popular Japanese idol group Arashi announced on X that they will hold a concert tour in the spring of 2026. Following the tour, the group will officially conclude all activities. Here is the full statement. We have something we would like to share with you. It has been about four and a half years since we went on hiatus. During our final year before the hiatus, we were unable to perform in front of all of you due to the impact of COVID-19. To express our heartfelt gratitude directly to the fans who have supported us all this time, the five of us have come together once again to begin preparing for a concert tour planned for next spring as Arashi . At one point, especially after the establishment of our company, Arashi Inc, we considered moving forward with a new structure and new staff. However, after more than 20 years of being supported by the same dedicated team, we realized we wanted to create this final chapter together with them. This tour will mark the official conclusion of our activities as Arashi. About a year and a half ago, the five of us began meeting and talking whenever we had the chance, discussing the possibility of reuniting as Arashi. As the environment surrounding us, as well as our individual circumstances, have changed, it wasn't easy to find a clear answer on how to do this. After much time and many conversations, we arrived at one shared decision: to reunite one more time and perform as Arashi. By doing the things we couldn't during the pandemic, such as directly thanking our fans and performing live, we hope to bring our journey as a five-member group to a close. Once this tour begins, there are no plans for another hiatus. Members of the boy band Arashi. To give priority to current fan club members for concert ticket applications, we are temporarily suspending new fan club registrations. Preparations for the tour are underway with the help of many people, but we are not yet ready to share all the details. As plans are finalized, we will share updates directly with our fans, in our own words. Additionally, with the conclusion of Arashi's activities, the fan club will officially close at the end of May 2026. Until then, we intend to provide as much content as possible for fan club members, and we hope you'll enjoy what we have planned. For those not currently in the fan club, we're preparing to reopen membership registration so you can enjoy upcoming content as well. The next content release for fan club members is scheduled for mid-next month [June]. Once again, the five of us will come together to thank our fans for their continued support by bringing you something very special. Please look forward to it. Arashi — Aiba Masaki, Jun Matsumoto, Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai Arashi is a Japanese boy band formed in 1999 by the former Johnny & Associates (now SMILE-UP.). The group debuted on September 15, 1999, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Over the next two decades, Arashi became one of Japan's most successful and influential pop groups, achieving numerous albums that topped the Oricon charts. The above is an unofficial translation. Subheadings were added by the editorial team. Author: The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
J-pop boy band Arashi to emerge from hiatus for final concert tour before disbandment in 2026
Fans of popular Japanese boy band Arashi have been hit with bittersweet news from their idols. 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. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
