Iconic Japanese boy band Arashi to disband in 2026 following concert tour

Japanese boy band Arashi announced on Tuesday (May 6) that it will disband in 2026, following the completion of its upcoming concert tour.

In a post on its social media pages, delivered in both Japanese and English, the five-member team – comprising Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto – said that Arashi will also close its fan club in May 2026.

The group has been on hiatus since 2021. However, its members have been busy as solo artistes – with the exception of Ohno, who chose to leave the limelight.

Addressing its decision to disband, Arashi said that for the past one and a half years, the five members regularly got together to discuss working together again.

"However, it was not easy to find an answer to how to do this, as the environment surrounding us has changed, in addition to each of our individually changed circumstances compared to before," wrote the group.

Nonetheless, the group expressed its desire to perform for its fans again, given the cancellation of its previous tour due to COVID-19. As such, Arashi also announced that it will stage a concert tour in the spring of 2026, which generally refers to the period between mid-March and the end of May in Japan.

"After much time and repeated conversations, we came to the conclusion that we should all come together as Arashi, hold a concert that would allow us to express our thanks directly with the kind of in-person performance our Corona concert did not allow for, and then end our activities as a group," added the group.

More details of the concert will be announced at a later date. However, Arashi has revealed that it will temporarily suspend new applications for its fan club to give existing club members priority access to concert tickets.

Furthermore, Arashi's fan club will officially shut down in May 2026, following Arashi's disbandment.

"We will continue to deliver as much content as possible throughout this next year for your fun and enjoyment, and will resume accepting new [fan club] memberships as soon as possible so that even those who are not members already can enjoy the videos and more," said Arashi.

It is unclear if Arashi will stage shows outside Japan for its upcoming concert tour.

Arashi debuted in 1999 and went on to become one of the biggest music acts in Japan, selling over 58 million albums.

In 2019, its greatest hits album, titled 5x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019, was the best-selling album of the year globally – selling over 3.3 million copies.