Arashi, J-pop mega group, to disband after final tour, prompting outpouring from fans
Group who debuted in 1999 to reunite after 5-year hiatus for one last tour in 2026 after which they’ll disband; members are in their 40s now
J-pop mega group Arashi, wildly popular in Japan and elsewhere in Asia, say they will end their activities as a band following a final tour next year.
After debuting in 1999, the five-member boy band rocketed to stardom with their catchy, chart-topping music to become the face of Japan’s now-defunct boy-band empire Johnny and Associates, before going on a hiatus in 2020.
Fans have since been anxiously awaiting news of their return to the spotlight, and on May 6, the group said in a bittersweet announcement that they would perform once again next spring – but that it would be their final act.
“In the last year before our hiatus, we couldn’t perform in front of you due to the pandemic”, Arashi’s official X account said. “The five of us will now reunite.”
It said the idols, now in their forties, would start preparing for a concert tour scheduled for around spring next year, “and that tour will end our activity as Arashi”.