It was reported on January 12th that one of Johnny & Associate's most popular groups, SMAP will be disbanding, although the exact date of this unfortunate break up is not yet finalized as the group is still under contract for commercials.
It was also revealed that Takuya Kimura will be the only group member staying in the agency while the rest, Masahiro Nakai, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori will be leaving. The reason for the disbandment has not been revealed yet. In addition, SMAP's chief manager Michi Iijima has resigned from Johnny's Board of Directors on January 12th and her resignation will take effect next month.
The group has been in the music industry for 27 years, having released 21 studio albums, 7 compilations, one remix album, and one mini album. The famous male group also bagged 14 awards from the Japan Gold Disc Awards. This is a very notable achievement in the Japanese music industry.
Aside from being musicians, the members have shown their acting prowess by starring in numerous dramas over the years. SMAP also hosts their own variety show SMAPxSMAP, which has guested several local and international celebrities. In relation, the variety program is still airing and its end date has yet to be confirmed too.
SMAP (Sports Music Assemble People) originally debuted in 1988 with six members but later became a 5-member group in 1996 after Katsuyuki Mori left.