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Japan Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
J-pop group Arashi to disband after going on tour next spring
Japan's popular boy band Arashi — which has been on hiatus since the end of 2020 — will disband next year after going on tour one last time next spring, the group announced in a video on its fan club site. The announcement on Tuesday, the first time the group has officially appeared together since 2020, puts an end to speculation on whether they will resume activities. There were emotional reactions from fans to the news. "Because Arashi is of my generation, to be honest, I'm shocked," one fan wrote on X. 'The five of us had been getting together on occasion to discuss the possibility of working as Arashi once again,' said Sho Sakurai, one of the members. 'However, as the environment surrounding us changed and each of our circumstances have also changed, it was not easy to come to a conclusion.' Satoshi Ono, who leads the group, added, 'After having held many discussions over time, we came to the conclusion that we would end our activities with the five of us after coming together once again to perform in a concert as Arashi and express our gratitude directly to our fans, which had not been possible because of COVID-19.' Before they went on hiatus in December 2020 during the pandemic, they performed in a livestreamed concert without an audience. Current fan club members will be given priority to purchase tickets for next spring's concert tour. Applications to join the fan club have been temporarily suspended. With the group's disbandment, the fan club will also shut down in May 2026. Arashi, which debuted in 1999, is one of Japan's top J-pop groups. They were members of the now-defunct major talent agency Johnny's & Associates, which was renamed Starto Entertainment. Some of their hit songs include 'A・RA・SHI,' 'Love So Sweet' and 'Happiness.' All five members have also been hugely successful individually, including as actors, models and newscasters. Everyone aside from Ono continued to work in the entertainment industry throughout the hiatus. 'Arashi had been active for a long time as a national idol group, producing many hit songs, and had been a huge presence,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday. 'I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their cooperation in various government activities, such as their role in promoting the appeal of Japanese culture internationally.' Arashi shocked the nation in 2019 when they announced — after 20 years at the forefront of Japanese entertainment — that they would be going on hiatus. The decision was made after Ono expressed he wanted to leave the group.
SoraNews24
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Mega-hit Japanese boy band Arashi is disbanding
Long hiatus to become permanent following farewell tour. Founded in 1999, five-member boy band Arashi (meaning 'storm') has spent most of the time since near the very top of the Japanese pop music scene. They had not just Japan's, but the entire world's best-selling album in 2019, and as further proof of the band's phenomenal popularity, there was that time a fan stole over 300 pages of magazine articles about the group from a public library. But just like every storm eventually dissipates, Arashi's time is coming to an end, with the group announcing that it is officially disbanding. 私たちから、お伝えしたいことがございます。活動休止してから、およそ４年半が経ちました。 私たちは休止前最後の１年、コロナの影響で皆さんの前でパフォーマンスをすることは叶いませんでした。… — ARASHI (@arashi5official) May 6, 2025 The announcement, made through the group's official Twitter account on Tuesday, might come as a surprise both to hard-core Arashi fans and casual J-pop followers alike, since depending on which group you're in you may have either been fervently waiting for Arashi to kick its activities into high gear or assuming that they'd already broken up. That's because a while back Arashi announced that they'd be going on hiatus, but not before a promised flurry of concerts and fan appreciation events. Unfortunately, those events were planned for 2020, with the group scheduled to enter hiatus at the end of that year, and while the coronavirus pandemic led to Arashi's performances and appearances being cancelled, the hiatus started as scheduled. The open-ended nature of the hiatus, combined with the gradual, indistinct ending of the pandemic, left it unclear if Arashi was still just on hiatus, or if this was going to be the understated de-facto end of the group. For everyone who was hoping for Arashi to resume activities, the announcement is bittersweet, with the group saying… '[We] sincerely regret we were unable to perform for all of you during that last year of activities due to the Coronavirus pandemic. So, in order to finally express our deep gratitude directly to all our fans, the five of us have gathered together once again and have begun planning a concert tour as Arashi to be held next spring' …but also… 'upon conclusion of this tour, we will end our activities as Arashi' The group says they've spent the past year and a half looking for ways to restart Arashi's activity, but that 'the environment surrounding us [having] changed, in addition to each of our individually changed circumstances compared to before' made finding solutions difficult, likely alluding to events such as the scandal-tainted collapse of Johnny & Associates, the talent agency Arashi operated under, and the marriages of group members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba. Details such as dates and locations for Arashi's 2026 farewell concerts are yet to be set, but the group says that priority will be given to Arashi fan club members, and also that it is temporarily suspending new membership applications to help ensure ticket supply for existing members. The group says it plans to reopen new fan club applications at a later time, but also that the club will cease operations in May of 2026. ▼ The English-language version of the announcement refers to both a 'fan club' and a 'family club,' but this appears to be a mistranslation, as the original Japanese-language announcement only mentions the 'fan club.' We have something the five of us would like to share with you all. 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 Coronavirus pandemic. So, in… — ARASHI (@arashi5official) May 6, 2025 Arashi says that they will be announcing further details about the spring 2026 concert tour through their Twitter account as soon as they have been decided. Source: Twitter/@arashi5official Top image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Hype Malaysia
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
Iconic Japanese Idol Group ARASHI To Disband In 2026 Following Final Tour
It's a bittersweet day for the J-pop industry and ARASHI (嵐) fans. The legendary Japanese idol group recently announced their comeback after a four-year hiatus – only to follow up with news that they're disbanding. The group shared a new post on social media on 6th May 2025 (Tuesday), delighting fans with their first group appearance in years. The quintet – made of members Satoshi Ohno (大野智), Sho Sakurai (櫻井翔), Masaki Aiba (相葉雅紀), Kazunari Ninomiya (二宮和也), and Jun Matsumoto (松本潤) – went on hiatus in 2021 to focus on solo activities. Despite the initial joy of seeing the group's reunion, fans quickly voiced sadness after the group shared their plans for their future. In their official statement, the group revealed plans to end their hiatus and start touring again in 2026. However, J-pop icons continued, saying that the tour would be the group's last as they would disband upon its conclusion. ARASHI explained that they've regularly discussed the possibility of reuniting the group after their hiatus. However, after contemplating the current circumstances, the members decided to end their activities as a group after their final tour. As ARASHI's final tour is still in its preparation stage, more details will be shared once everything is ready. The group will also close its official fan club in May 2026, following the end of their group activities. However, the members said they would continue to deliver as much content as possible until the fan club's closure. ARASHI ends their statement by expressing gratitude to all their fans for their continued love and support. The J-pop legends have been a household name in Japan for over 20 years. The group debuted in 1999 under the renowned entertainment agency Johnny & Associates Inc., now known as Starto Entertainment Inc. In their career, the quintet has amassed a loyal following and become one of Asia's best-selling boy bands. The members also actively appear in movies, dramas, commercials and variety shows. Fans from across the globe have shared their reactions to the bittersweet news. While many supported ARASHI's decision to disband, they also voiced sadness over no longer being able to see all five members as a group. On the other hand, international fans also urged the group to consider a world tour before disbanding to give overseas fans a chance to catch the final tour. The warm response to ARASHI's announcement is a testament to the group's influence in the J-pop world. We hope those who have supported the group throughout their career will be able to join their final tour. In the meantime, watch their announcement video below: Source: Twitter
CNA
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Iconic Japanese boy band Arashi to disband in 2026 following concert tour
Japanese boy band Arashi announced on Tuesday (May 6) that it will disband in 2026, following the completion of its upcoming concert tour. In a post on its social media pages, delivered in both Japanese and English, the five-member team – comprising Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto – said that Arashi will also close its fan club in May 2026. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ARASHI (@arashi_5_official) The group has been on hiatus since 2021. However, its members have been busy as solo artistes – with the exception of Ohno, who chose to leave the limelight. Addressing its decision to disband, Arashi said that for the past one and a half years, the five members regularly got together to discuss working together again. "However, it was not easy to find an answer to how to do this, as the environment surrounding us has changed, in addition to each of our individually changed circumstances compared to before," wrote the group. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ARASHI (@arashi_5_official) Nonetheless, the group expressed its desire to perform for its fans again, given the cancellation of its previous tour due to COVID-19. As such, Arashi also announced that it will stage a concert tour in the spring of 2026, which generally refers to the period between mid-March and the end of May in Japan. "After much time and repeated conversations, we came to the conclusion that we should all come together as Arashi, hold a concert that would allow us to express our thanks directly with the kind of in-person performance our Corona concert did not allow for, and then end our activities as a group," added the group. More details of the concert will be announced at a later date. However, Arashi has revealed that it will temporarily suspend new applications for its fan club to give existing club members priority access to concert tickets. Furthermore, Arashi's fan club will officially shut down in May 2026, following Arashi's disbandment. "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 members already can enjoy the videos and more," said Arashi. It is unclear if Arashi will stage shows outside Japan for its upcoming concert tour. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ARASHI (@arashi_5_official) Arashi debuted in 1999 and went on to become one of the biggest music acts in Japan, selling over 58 million albums. In 2019, its greatest hits album, titled 5x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019, was the best-selling album of the year globally – selling over 3.3 million copies.
