SMAP
Oh, my God! SMAP will disband, officially. The story occupied the headline of the Monday, August 15, 2016 morning Japan Times newspaper, and most of the space above the fold, like major news. First the Emperor wants to abdicate, and now SMAP is disbanding. It’s the end of the Heisei Era.
Rumors several months ago, in January 2016, that the famous 5-member boy band would disband caused such an uproar in the media and among fans that their management company, Johnny & Associates, had to reassure the world that SMAP would stay together. But break-up/disbanding rumors didn’t cease in the end the boys are calling it quits after 25-years.
Sports Music Assemble People (SMAP), a synchronized-dance boy group, are Takuya Kimura, Shingo Katori, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Masahiro Nakai. They released their first CD in 1991.