Arashi Idol Group to Hold Concerts Next Spring Before Disbanding in May 2026
All five members of the male idol group Arashi announced in a video message on the website for their fan club members on Tuesday that the group has begun planning a concert tour, slated for next spring. The conclusion of the spring tour will also signal the end of the group's activities as Arashi. With the end of Arashi's activities, the group's fan club will also close in May 2026. Arashi's official X (formerly Twitter) account posted the members' official message in Japanese and also in English.Arashi members stated that they have been discussing for about a year and a half now on working as a group again, but they could not find an answer on how to go about it, considering that the environment surrounding them and their individual circumstances has changed. In the end, the group decided to hold a concert that would allow them to directly and personally express their gratitude to their fans, and then end their activities as a group. The group suspended all joint activities and has been on hiatus since December 31, 2020. The members made the announcement in January 2019, almost two years before starting their group hiatus. Ohno has been on hiatus from entertainment since then, while the other members have pursued their solo careers. The group then announced in April 2024 that they have established a new company. Arashi members, both as a group and as individuals, were one of many groups associated with Johnny & Associates' that halted commercial appearances after the agency publicly admitted for the first time in October 2023 that Johnny & Associates' late founder Johnny Kitagawa sexually abused a large number of aspiring pop star teenagers from the 1970s to 2010s. The renewed allegations in 2023 led to the resignation of then-president Julie Keiko Fujishima (with actor and personality Noriyuki Higashiyama taking over as president), the agency establishing compensation measures for sexual abuse victims of Kitagawa, the renaming of the agency to Smile Up (a legal entity focused on handling compensation for the victims), and the renaming of many of the agency's associated acts. A new talent agency was established under president Atsushi Fukuda in October 2023 to handle the entertainers formerly managed by Johnny & Associates, and that new agency received the finalized name Starto Entertainment in December 2023. Arashi performed theme songs for the live-action Hana Yori Dango [2005] and Hana Yori Dango 2 [Returns] television series, the live-action Honey and Clover television series, and the Kochikame anime series.Members of the group have also acted in television series and movies. Ninomiya has starred in the live-action Gantz, Gantz II: Perfect Answer, Assassination Classroom, Assassination Classroom: Graduation, and Ōoku: The Inner Chambers projects. He also starred in the Tekkonkinkreet anime film. Matsumoto has starred in severa live-actionl Hana Yori Dango projects, as well as the live-action Gokusen and Kimi wa Pet projects. Ohno starred in the live-action Kaibutsu-kun series, Shō Sakurai starred in the live-action Yatterman and Honey and Clover films, and Masaki Aiba has starred in the live-action Bartender, Sakanoue Animal Clinic Story, and My Girl series. Sources: Arashi's X/Twitter account, Sports Hōchi via Hachima KikōMantan Web
