On Tuesday, May 6, Japanese boy band Arashi announced their plans to disband in 2026, after completing their forthcoming concert tour.
In a message shared on their social media platforms in both Japanese and English, the five-member group—comprising Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto—indicated that they will also dissolve their fan club in May 2026.
The group has been on hiatus since 2021; however, its members have been active as solo artists, except for Ohno, who chose to step away from the public eye.
Regarding their disbandment decision, Arashi mentioned that for the past year and a half, the members have consistently met to discuss the possibility of reuniting.
“However, it has not been easy to determine how to achieve this, as both the circumstances around us and our individual situations have evolved since then,” the group stated.
Despite this, they expressed a strong desire to perform for their fans again, especially after their previous tour was canceled due to COVID-19. Consequently, Arashi announced a concert tour that will take place in the spring of 2026, generally understood to be from mid-March to the end of May in Japan.
“After extensive discussions over time, we concluded that we should reunite as Arashi for a concert that would allow us to personally express our gratitude, something we missed out on during our COVID concert, and subsequently end our activities as a group,” they added.
More concert details will be revealed in the future. In the meantime, Arashi has decided to temporarily halt new membership applications for their fan club, prioritizing access to concert tickets for existing members.
Additionally, the fan club will officially close in May 2026, coinciding with the band’s disbandment.
“We will strive to provide as much content as possible over the next year for your enjoyment, and we will resume accepting new fan club memberships as soon as we can, allowing those who are not yet members to enjoy the videos and more,” Arashi stated.
It remains uncertain if Arashi will hold shows outside of Japan during their upcoming concert tour.
Having debuted in 1999, Arashi became one of the most prominent music groups in Japan, with over 58 million albums sold.
