Arashi, J-pop mega group, to disband after final tour, prompting outpouring from fans
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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'.
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