is a Japanese

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

formed under

Johnny & Associates is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency rente ...

(Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Their debut on March 22, 2006 was marked by a

tripartite Tripartite means composed of or split into three parts, or refers to three parties. Specifically, it may also refer to any of the following: * 3 (number) * Tripartite language * Tripartite motto * Tripartite System in British education * Triparti ...

release of a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

and music DVD on their exclusive record label

J-One Records is a Japanese music and film company owned by Johnny & Associates. It was established on November 12, 2001, initially as a label for the Johnny's group, Arashi, after which it was named. Aside from producing and releasing CDs and DVDs, the co ...

. Since then, all of their single, album and music DVD releases have debuted at number one on the ''

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

'' music and DVD charts. In 2010, Akanishi left the group to start a solo career, making the group's acronym then come from KAmenashi, Taguchi, Tanaka, Ueda, and Nakamaru, and the group toured with five members. In 2013, Tanaka's contract was terminated for several violations, leaving KAT-TUN as a four-man ensemble, and Tatsuya Ueda took the T to keep the acronym. By the end of March 2016, Taguchi left both the group and the agency, leaving KAT-TUN with only three remaining members.

History

2001–2005: Formation and pre-debut activities

Before becoming KAT-TUN, each member belonged to different

trainee A trainee is commonly known as an individual taking part in a trainee program within an organization after having graduated from higher and technical courses. A trainee is an official employee of the firm that is being trained to the job they wer ...

units within Johnny & Associates. In 2001, eight members were chosen to become a temporary dancing unit in order to support

Koichi Domoto is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, television personality, Voice acting in Japan, voice actor. Along with Tsuyoshi Domoto (with whom he has no blood-relation), he is a member of the duo KinKi Kids, who holds ...

in the

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

music program, ''Pop Jam''. The eight members were switched around before it officially became KAT-TUN, with the current three members plus Jin Akanishi, Koki Tanaka and Junnosuke Taguchi. Although the formation was only meant to be a temporary support unit, KAT-TUN gained a great deal of attention and became a solid unit. In 2002, in response to many requests, KAT-TUN held their first concert called , for which 550,000 people tried to get tickets. That same year, they performed eleven shows in a single day. This is the current record in Japan for the most performances in one day. Since then, KAT-TUN has held concerts in Japan almost every season. In 2003-2004, their popularity rose to that of a debuted group, to the point where they performed on

Music Station is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently syndicated throughout th ...

multiple times before debuting. In 2005, KAT-TUN released their first major DVD, , which topped the ''Oricon'' yearly chart for the best-selling DVD. At the 20th

Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associa ...

s, ''Live Kaizokuban'' placed on the Music Video Of The Year list.

2006: Debut and ''Best of KAT-TUN''

On March 22, KAT-TUN released their debut single "

Real Face Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

", accompanied by an album, ''Best of KAT-TUN'' and a DVD ''Real Face Film''. These were released on their own label

. The group also went on a nationwide tour, ''Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face"'', in support of the album. Within the first week, ''Best of KAT-TUN'', "Real Face" and ''Real Face Film'' topped all three ''Oricon'' weekly charts by selling 556,548 copies, 754,234 copies and 374,202 copies respectively Total 1,684,984 copies. They became the second artists to do so, the first being

Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...

. With these numbers, KAT-TUN holds the record for the highest weekly single debut sales (previously held by

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999 ...

with their debut single "

" of 557,000 copies sold in 1999). In addition, "Real Face" topped the ''Oricon'' charts for three weeks straight, becoming the first debut single to do so in Japan in 8 years 8 months since

KinKi Kids is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. KinKi Kids was formed in 1993 and officially debuted on July 21, 1997. With more than 30 million physical copies sold, they are one of ...

' debut single "Garasu no Shōnen." The single sold over a million copies in nine weeks, making "Real Face" the highest selling single for the year 2006.''Oricon'' Ranking 2006
2006. Retrieved November 10, 2009. In March 2006, KAT-TUN became the first group to hold their own performances in Japan's most popular stadium,

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

, before debuting. They performed to 110,000 people over two days and about 630,000 people in total during the tour. About three months after releasing "Real Face", KAT-TUN released their second single, "

Signal In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

", on July 19. On October 12, member Akanishi announced a hiatus from the group in order to study linguistics abroad in the United States, leaving KAT-TUN as a five-member group for six months. The remaining members continued activities by releasing their third single, "

Bokura no Machi de "Bokura no Machi de" (僕らの街で in Japanese text, translates to "''In Our City''") is the third overall single by the Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, and the second from their second studio album, ''Cartoon KAT-TUN II You''. The first ballad to ...

" as the theme song to members Kamenashi and Tanaka's drama, ''

Tatta Hitotsu no Koi
-

Nippon TV ...

'' and their second album, ''Cartoon KAT-TUN II You'' on December 7. KAT-TUN is the first group in Japan to have all three singles from debut to exceed 500,000 in yearly sales, taking first, fifth and thirteenth place on the Oricon yearly singles chart.

2007: ''Cartoon KAT-TUN II You''

Under the same name as their second album, KAT-TUN started their second nationwide tour, ''Tour 2007 Cartoon KAT-TUN II You'', still without Akanishi, on April 3. The next day, KAT-TUN began to host their own variety show ''

Cartoon KAT-TUN was a Japanese variety show hosted by KAT-TUN, a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. The show began airing on April 4, 2007, and ended on March 24, 2010. It aired every Wednesday from 11:55 pm to 12:26 am on NTV for 3 years. ...

'', which aired every Wednesday from 11:55 p.m. to 12:26 a.m. Akanishi returned to Japan on April 19 and officially resumed work activities on April 20. Akanishi joined the rest of KAT-TUN during their tour on April 21 in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

for the encore, marking his official return to KAT-TUN. On June 6, KAT-TUN released their fourth single, " Yorokobi no Uta", as the theme song to Tanaka's drama, ''Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go''. On November 21, they simultaneously released their fifth single, "

Keep the Faith ''Keep the Faith'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on November 3, 1992, by Mercury Records. It is Bon Jovi's last studio album to feature all five original band members as bass guitarist Alec John Such was dism ...

", as the theme song to members Akanishi and Taguchi's drama, ''

Yukan Club Koumala is a rural town and coastal locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Koumala had a population of 831 people. Geography In the east, Cape Palmerston National Park protects the landscape surroundin ...

'', and the DVD to their ''Tokyo Dome Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face"'' concert. The DVD marked their fifth consecutive release topping the Oricon musical DVD chart, and set the opening week record for the year. KAT-TUN took the annual number one position on the Oricon musical DVD charts for the third time in a row with the release. After KinKi Kids, KAT-TUN is the second artist to have all singles since debut to exceed 300,000 in sales during their first week.

2008: ''Queen of Pirates''

KAT-TUN released 'Lips', the theme song to Kamenashi's drama based on the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

'' One Pound Gospel'', as their sixth single on February 6. The single topped at number one on the Oricon charts. KAT-TUN released their seventh single "

Don't U Ever Stop "Don't U Ever Stop" is the seventh single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the first single from their fourth studio album, '' Break the Records: By You & For You''. The single was released in four editions and as such features four different c ...

" on May 14, which topped the weekly ''Oricon'' chart. On May 15, during the MC segment promoting "Don't U Ever Stop" on

, Kamenashi announced that two shows had been added to their Tokyo Dome tour dates, resulting in a total of four consecutive days at the Dome. This marked a historic event in the Dome's history, as KAT-TUN became the first Japanese artist to hold four consecutive days at the stadium since it opened in 1988. Other Japanese artists, such as

SMAP SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-pi ...

X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...

and

have had three consecutive days at the Dome. The Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson have played multiple days at the Dome, but they were not consecutive. On June 4, KAT-TUN released their third album, '' KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates''. On December 3, KAT-TUN released " White X'mas", their first Christmas single. On December 21, it was announced that KAT-TUN would release a new single " One Drop" as a tie-in theme song to Kamenashi's new drama, Kami no Shizuku, just two months after their "White X'mas" single. The release consisted of three versions: Limited Edition w/DVD, Regular Edition (First Press) and a Regular Edition.

2009–2010: ''Break the Records: By You & For You'', Akanishi Jin's departure and ''No More Pain''

On February 10, KAT-TUN released their first single since March 2009, which was used for Kamenashi's live-action drama adaptation of Tomoko Hayakawa's manga series ''

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is a manga series written by Tomoko Hayakawa. The individual chapters have been serialized in Bessatsu Friend since 2000, and in 36 tankōbon volumes in Japan by Kodansha. The series was licensed for an English language release in North Am ...

'', which premiered January 15 on TBS. The single, "

Love Yourself (Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki) is the eleventh single by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN. It was released on February 10, 2010 by their record label J-One Records. The title track was used as the theme song for the Tokyo Broadcasting System drama, ''Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge'', ...

", debuted at number one on the Oricon weekly singles chart, resulting in KAT-TUN's eleventh consecutive number one single since their debut. It became KAT-TUN's first single to sell more than 350,000 copies in its first week since the May 2008 release of their single "

", which sold more than 381,000 copies in its first week. On March 24, Johnny & Associates announced that KAT-TUN would go on their first Asia concert tour as a five-member group while Akanishi held his own solo concerts in the United States, making him the first Johnny's artist to perform solo in the United States. KAT-TUN is set to have their Asia Tour from early May to late August and although the majority of the concerts will be held in Japan, KAT-TUN will also be heading to Bangkok on July 31, Seoul from August 6 to 7, and Taipei from August 27 to 28; other sources say that a Hawaii concert is also being considered. Due to his absence from KAT-TUN's Asia concert tour and single promotions, Akanishi did not participate in the recording of KAT-TUN's twelfth single "

Going! "Going!" is the twelfth single by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN. It was released on May 12, 2010 by their record label J-One Records. The title track was used as the theme song for the Nippon Television TV Show, '' Going! Sports & News'', which is c ...

" set for release on May 12. Due to the political unrest in Thailand, Johnny & Associates announced on May 15 that KAT-TUN's concert in Bangkok would be indefinitely postponed. KAT-TUN released their first 2010 album, ''

No More Pain ''No More Pain'' (stylized as NO MORE PAIИ) is the fifth studio album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN and was released in Japan on June 16, 2010 by J-One Records. The album was released in two editions: a limited edition version with a DVD and a r ...

'', on June 16 in two versions: a limited and regular edition that both include solo songs by each member. The limited edition contains thirteen songs and a bonus DVD with the PVs and making-of's the album's songs while the regular edition contains a bonus track. Johnny & Associates announced on July 17 that Akanishi would leave the group in late 2010 to pursue a solo career while the rest of the members would continue to work as a five-member group. On July 21, Akanishi himself confirmed through the official Johnny's mobile site, Johnny's Web, that he would leave KAT-TUN to focus on his solo career, although he had not appeared on any event to his fans until October. KAT-TUN continued as a group of five. On August 28, the last day of their World Big Tour 2010, KAT-TUN revealed their 2011 tour plan to celebrate their fifth anniversary by performing at industrial complexes in five cities in Japan and expanding its overseas tour to five different countries including Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China, and Hawaii. The Hawaii concert would make them the first Johnny artist to hold a concert in Hawaii. The World Big Tour is where former member Tanaka Koki gave the name "hyphens" to the fans, saying that the fans unite KAT-TUN together. On October 13, KAT-TUN announced the release of their new single, "Change Ur World", which was KAT-TUN's 13th single and the first single after Akanishi's official departure, was released on November 17. The single debuted at number one on the Oricon weekly singles chart for selling 230,829 copies, resulting in KAT-TUN's thirteenth consecutive number one single since their debut plus all of their 13 singles sold over 200,000 copies in the first week. On December 29, KAT-TUN released KAT-TUN -NO MORE PAIИ- WORLD TOUR 2010 DVD, featuring their last day in Japan leg of their successful World Big Tour 2010 at Kyocera Dome and more concert footages from their Korea and Taiwan legs.

2011: Fifth anniversary

The group announced a release of their 14th single on 2010s Christmas Eve, "Ultimate Wheels" on February 2, 2011 along with a tie-in CM of Suzuki Solio car that the group endorsed. On January 6, KAT-TUN announced its plan of KAT-TUN Live Tour 2011 during May to October. The tour includes the 5 big dome tour at Sapporo Dome, Tokyo Dome, Nagoya Dome, Yahoo Dome in Fukuoka, and Kyocera Dome in Osaka and a special live event in Kawasaki on July 17–19. KAT-TUN will become the fourth Johnny group to be able to conquer the 5 big domes in Japan after SMAP, KinKi Kids and Arashi. After October, the group will start their Asia Tour that includes Thailand, Taiwan, and Korea. "Ultimate Wheels" became their 14th straight No.1 single since their debut. The total number of copies sold in the first week was over 180,000 copies, reported by Oricon. Early March, KAT-TUN announced three new songs in three days, including "Perfect" for Kamenashi's new Aoki TV commercial, "White" for a Sofina commercial, and "Diamond" as the theme song of NTV telecasts of Yomiuri Giants baseball games. It was announced on March 29 that Johnny's Company would start a new charity project called Marching J, a fundraising project for the Tohoku earthquake victims. The first part of the project started as an event held from April 1 through April 3. From the company,

Tokio Tokio may refer to: * , the capital of Japan, used primarily in non-English-speaking countries may also refer to: Music * Tokio (band), a Japanese pop/rock band ** ''Tokio'' (album), their debut album * Tokio Hotel, a German rock band * Toki ...

, V6,

Tackey and Tsubasa were a Japanese idol duo consisting of Hideaki Takizawa and Tsubasa Imai from the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. Takizawa, nicknamed "Tackey" (sometimes spelled as its literal romanization, ), is best known for his drama works, and T ...

NEWS News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

Kanjani8 is a five-member Japanese boy band from Japan's Kansai region. They are managed by the multimedia talent agency Johnny & Associates and signed to Infinity Records. The group was formed in 2002 and made their CD debut in 2004 as "Johnny's modern ...

, KAT-TUN,

Hey! Say! JUMP Hey! Say! JUMP (HSJ or JUMP) is an eight-member Japanese boy band under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. The group is split into two sub-groups: Hey! Say! BEST and Hey! Say! 7. In Japan they sold more than 10 million physical co ...

and some of Johnny's Juniors participated in this first event. The first event will be held in Tokyo, in front of the first Yoyogi gymnasium. Groups took turns according to their schedule and will have a talk session in front of the fans, also calling out for donations for the earthquake victims. And due to this disaster, all the planned events to celebrate KAT-TUN's 5th debut anniversary were canceled. On May 18, KAT-TUN's 15th single, "White", was released with "Perfect" as its coupling song. By this time, they also announced another two new songs, "Cosmic Child" for a Wing TV commercial, and "Run For You" for a New Suzuki Solio commercial. On May 29, KAT-TUN with all its five members joined another Marching J project, "Johnny's Charity Baseball Tournament" with other Johnny artists and juniors at Tokyo Dome, in which the ticket sales would be donated for Japan's earthquake and tsunami victims. It was announced in mid-June that members Kazuya Kamenashi, Koki Tanaka and Yuichi Nakamaru would star in this year's ''Dream Boy'' musicals as the leads, shows will commence from September 3 to 25. On September 8, 2011, it was confirmed that KAT-TUN would host a new TV show titled ''

KAT-TUN no Zettai Manetaku Naru TV is a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny & Associates (Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Jin Akanishi, Junnos ...

'', their first show since ''

'' ended in March 2010. The new show began airing on October 18 on NTV. During the broadcast of the first episode, it was revealed that the show will only air for a limited time until the end of December 2011 with a total of 10 episodes. On September 30, 2011, KAT-TUN announced their 17th single "Birth" as the soundtrack to Kamenashi Kazuya's drama "Youkai Ningen Bem" would have been released on November 30. "Birth" became their 17th straight No.1 single on the Oricon's weekly chart since their debut.

2012: ''Chain''

KAT-TUN began their new year with an extreme special TV show titled ''KAT-TUN no Sekaiichi Dame Yoru Ni'', a one-off show broadcast on the night of January 1 on TBS. A few weeks later they announced the release of their sixth album, titled ''Chain'', scheduled for release on February 22. On January 13, KAT-TUN endorsed the mobile game site Entag which used KAT-TUN's album track "Smile for You" as the commercial song and the first-ever KAT-TUN animation, "Ai wa KAT-TUN", voiced by KAT-TUN themselves, was launched on The Entag site for a limited period. On February 11, they kicked off their nationwide tour "KAT-TUN Live Tour 2012 Chain". This tour covered 12 cities, including Sendai. The tour started in Niigata and will end in Sendai. They will become the first Johnnys group to perform in the affected areas after the earthquake and tsunami disaster. Music Station presented on Jan 13 with a special report for the 'Most Powerful Group BEST 20' which listed the Top 20 most powerful groups of all-time in terms of physical single and album sales, KAT-TUN was listed at number 16 with their five-year debut, 17 singles and 5 albums, together they have sold over 8,450,000 records. Music Station hints to this ranking included the debut single 'Real Face' which became 2006's number 1 selling single and how they managed to hold 8 consecutive concerts at Tokyo Dome. Among the groups in Top 20, KAT-TUN is apparently the newest group on the list. KAT-TUN's 6th studio album, "CHAIN", reached No.1 on Oricon album ranking on March 5, making them the first male artist in history to have six consecutive No.1 albums ever since the debut. KAT-TUN broke the record for the first time in 24 years and 10 months. On March 8, it was announced that the second episode of ''KAT-TUN no Sekaiichi Dame Yoru Ni'' will be aired on April 3. Official confirmations for the upcoming 2012 shows for Johnny's long-running ''Dream Boys'' musicals were released, and once again member Kamenashi reprises his role as the main lead for the musical. According to confirmation, the shows will begin in September. On April 20–22, KAT-TUN performed at Tokyo Dome as parts of their LIVE TOUR 2012 CHAIN tour. According to news reports, KAT-TUN's original idea "Flash-Tree" spotlights was introduced for the first time in Johnny and also Tokyo Dome's 25m moving stage was the longest in Johnny's history. On June 27, KAT-TUN released its 18th single ''To The Limit'', which was used as a tie-up song for Suzuki Solio Bandit CM. On June 29 Music Station reported that KAT-TUN ranked as No.10 best-selling Heisei era's idol with the total sales of 6,661,293 copies from 17 singles. In early August it was announced that KAT-TUN's ''Sekaiichi Dame Yoru Ni'' TV special will be turned into a regular show due to the success of the previous 2 special episodes. The regular show was renamed KAT-TUN Sekaiichi dame na yoru! and began airing on August 24 on TBS. KAT-TUN's 19th single "Fumetsu no Scrum" which was used as the theme song for

member Yasuda Shota's drama

Dragon Seinendan A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

, was released on September 12 and sold around 157,000 copies within its first week of release, this gives KAT-TUN their 19th consecutive #1 single since their debut in 2006. In November, KAT-TUN achieved their 9th consecutive no.1 music-DVD, and 8th no.1 overall DVD with their live DVD, "KAT-TUN LIVE TOUR 2012 CHAIN TOKYO DOME." The latter achievement puts them at 3rd place among male groups who have done the most no.1 overall DVDs in history after B'z and Mr.Children.

2013–2014: Tanaka Koki's departure and ''Come Here''

"Expose" sold 155,000 copies in the first weeks. With this single, their number of consecutive singles topping the chart has reached 20. KAT-TUN is the second artist to top the singles chart for 20 consecutive singles since the debut. It was only achieved by their senior KinKi Kids 8 years and a month ago with “Anniversary”. In October 2013, Koki Tanaka was removed from the band and the talent agency for having violated his contract, leaving KAT-TUN as a four-man ensemble. The mini album "Kusabi" was released on November 27, 2013, on J-Storm. The title track "Kusabi" was used as the theme song for the drama ''Henshin Interviewer no Yūutsu'' starring KAT-TUN member

Yuichi Nakamaru , is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, television personality, radio host, and a member of KAT-TUN. He joined the talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1998 and then officially debuted as part of KAT-TUN in 2006. Individually, he has acted i ...

and actress

Fumino Kimura is a Japanese actress. Filmography Film * ''Kaze no Dadu'' (2006), Ayumi Asano * ''Adan'' (2006), Adan * ''Paradise Kiss'' (2011) * ''Run60'' (2011), Maki * ''Sukiyaki'' (2011), Shiori Mizushima * ''Ramo Trip'' (2012), Mari Ijichi * ''Chips'' ...

, while "Gimme Luv" was used in a Suzuki Solio Bandit television commercial. "Kusabi" debuted at the number one spot top the

weekly album chart, selling approximately 168,000 copies in its first week of release. The album is KAT-TUN's seventh consecutive album to achieve number one, putting them in a tie with singer

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

for most consecutive album number ones in Oricon chart history. "In Fact" was their 22nd single released on June 4, 2014 under the label

. The title track "In Fact" was the main theme song for the TV drama series "First Class". In Fact debuted at the number one spot top the Oricon weekly single chart, selling over 146,000 copies in its first week of release. With this, KAT-TUN achieved their 22nd consecutive No.1 with their 22nd single. On June 25, "Come Here" album was released and KAT-TUN became the first artist in history to have 8 consecutive No.1 albums since debut according to Oricon.

2015: Taguchi Junnosuke's departure

"Dead or Alive" was released on January 21, 2015 and it debuted at the number one spot on the Oricon weekly single chart, selling over 192,000 copies in its first week of release. With this, KAT-TUN has then achieved their 23rd consecutive No.1 with their 23rd single. They are currently behind KinKi Kids who are with 34 consecutive No.1 singles since debut. On November 24, 2015, before their performance at Best Artist, Junnosuke Taguchi surprised the audience by announcing that he had decided to quit not only KAT-TUN but also from Johnny's Entertainment and that he would retire from the industry by Spring the following year.

2016–2019: Hiatus, recharging period, ''Cast'' and ''Ignite''

KAT-TUN released two more singles as a four-member group—"Tragedy" on February 10, 2016, followed by "Unlock" on March 2, 2016, both of which had reached number 1 in Oricon chart in their first week. A compilation album entitled ''"KAT-TUN 10th Anniversary BEST 10Ks"'' and a 3-Dome Tour entitled ''"KAT-TUN 10th Anniversary Live Tour 10Ks"'' were announced by the three remaining members through their official website. They also announced that the group activities of KAT-TUN will be on a temporary, indefinite hiatus (or so-called "recharging period") starting on May 1, 2016, as each member focused more on their solo projects and works. ''KAT-TUN 10th Anniversary Best "10Ks"'' album was then released on March 22, 2016 (the same date with their debut album released back in 2006) and has reached number 1 in the Oricon chart in its first week. On August 17, 2016, KAT-TUN released the DVD for KAT-TUN 10th Anniversary Live Tour "10Ks!” and it reached the number one spot in the Oricon Chart as well. While the group activities are temporarily on hold, each member had their own individual projects, apart from the regular TV programs where they were regulars individually. All had been part or starred in different dramas, movies and theatrical plays and all three also had the chance to perform in a concert and stage shows. On January 1, 2018 on the annual Johnny's Countdown, a big surprise had been announced and that KAT-TUN had finally resumed their group activities. The group sang their debut song, "Real Face", which was then followed by their song "Ask Yourself", the main theme song for Kamenashi's drama. After the performance, the group also announced that concert dates had been decided, which would be happening on April 20–22, 2018. The group later announced they would be releasing ''Cast'' on 18 July, their first original album in four years. On July 31, 2019, KAT-TUN released their ninth full album, ''Ignite''.

2021–present: Resuming of group activities and ''Honey''

In January 2021, NTV drama 'Red Eyes: Kanshi Sousa-han' premiered on January 23, starred Kamenashi. The title of the theme song was "Roar", and it's a song about one's determination to keep walking towards the future even though the present is ambiguous and has no correct answer. The single was released on March 10 as KAT-TUN's first single in three years. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of debut, KAT-TUN embarked on their nationwide tour '15th Anniversary Live KAT-TUN' on March 20 at

Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design. It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and d ...

(Tokyo), and wrapped up on June 9 at

Marine Messe Fukuoka in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan is a collection of three separate buildings operated by the Fukuoka Convention Center Foundation. Fukuoka Kokusai Center The Fukuoka Kokusai Center opened in . A Sumo Tournament is held here every November. Man ...

, 22 performances in 7 cities. Their live tour was later released through DVD and Blu-ray on November 24, which feature footage from the group's concert on May 29 at Pia Arena MM. On September 8, KAT-TUN announced double sided A-side single "We Just Go Hard" (featuring

AK-69 AK-69, also known as Kalassy Nikoff (エーケーシックスティーナイン／カラシニコフ) is a Japanese Hip Hop artist from Komaki, Aichi. As a rapper, AK-69 uses his stage name; while singing, he is usually known as "Kalassy Nikoff." ...

), the single was the image song for NTV's broadcast of professional baseball ''Dramatic Baseball 2021'' as well as the theme song for NTV's 'Going! Sports & News'. Meanwhile, "Euphoria" as the theme song for Bishounen's drama ''The High School Heroes'' that premiered on July 31. In February 2022, KAT-TUN announced the release of their digital single "Crystal Moment", as the theme song for NTV’s coverage of the

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

, the rap lyrics was written by

Sho Sakurai (born January 25, 1982) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, news anchor, host and former radio host. He is a member of the boy band Arashi. Sakurai began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent a ...

. For the first time in about two and a half years, KAT-TUN announced the release of the 10th full album ''Honey''. Two songs, "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "Sting", are the lead songs, with the album released on March 29. They also held "KAT-TUN Live Tour 2022 Honey" from April 1 to June 4, via eight locations.

Current members

* (born February 23, 1986), (Main Vocals) * (born October 4, 1983), (Sub Vocals) * (born September 4, 1983), (Sub Vocals)

Former members

* (born July 4, 1984), (Main Vocals) * (born November 5, 1985), (Rapper, Sub Vocals) * (born November 29, 1985), (Sub Vocals)

Discography

* ''

Best of KAT-TUN "Best of KAT-TUN" is the debut album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, released in Japan on March 22, 2006 by J-One Records. Despite the title, it is not a greatest hits compilation album. Seven songs on the record, however, were part of KAT-TUN's live ...

'' (2006) * ''

Cartoon KAT-TUN II You ''Cartoon KAT-TUN II You'' is the second studio album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, released in Japan on April 18, 2007 by J Storm, J-One Records. It is the group's first album that does not feature all six members, as Jin Akanishi had taken a sabb ...

'' (2007) * '' KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates'' (2008) * '' Break the Records: By You & for You'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

Chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

'' (2012) * '' Come Here'' (2014) * ''Cast'' (2018) * ''Ignite'' (2019) * ''Honey'' (2022)

Other activities

TV shows

KAT-TUN had regularly appeared on NHK's

Johnny's Jr. is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency rent ...

show

Shounen Club is a Japanese music variety show that airs on NHK BS Premium. The show premiered on NHK BS 2 on April 9, 2000 and continues to this day. Worldwide, it airs on NHK World Premium and TV Japan (US) as Pop Music Club It features the juniors of Joh ...

and became the regular hosts and leaders of the show until 2006 when they made their official debut. They also became part of other variety programs like ''Minna no Terebi'' and ''KAT-TUNx3''. KAT-TUN even became special supporters for the ''FIVB World Grand Champions Cup'' in 2005, wherein their song "Gloria" served as its theme song. From 2005 to January 2007, KAT-TUN was a regular participant in the variety show ''

Utawara Hot Hit 10 was a weekly Japanese music television program broadcast on Sundays 7:58 pm – 8:54 pm on Nippon Television. The series ended its run on January 28, 2007. Content Utawara was a direct successor to its previous incarnation titled Minna no Tere ...

'' with

Jun Matsumoto Jun or JUN may refer to: People and anthroponymy * Jun (given name), a common Japanese given name * Jun (singer), a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS * Tomáš Jun, Czech footballer * A spelling of common Korean family name Jeon (Korean surn ...

. From October 8, 2006, members Tanaka Koki & Nakamaru Yuichi hosted the show YouTachi! YOUたち! together, until the show ended on September 30, 2007. From April 4, 2007, KAT-TUN then began hosting their own talk show ''

'' every Wednesday until March 24, 2010, comprising a total of 152 episodes. This was their last regular show as a 6-member group. After becoming a 5-member group, their next TV show titled ''KAT-TUN no Zettai Manetaku Naru TV'' began on October 18, 2011 on

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Television) ...

and lasted only for a total of 10 episodes, with the show's finale on December 20, 2011. KAT-TUN then also had a one-off TV special titled ''KAT-TUN no Sekaiichi Dame Yoru Ni'' which was aired on the night of January 1, 2012 on TBS. It was soon followed by another special episode on April 3, 2012. Following the success of the two special episodes of the show, it became KAT-TUN's third regular TV show. The show was then renamed as ''KAT-TUN Sekaiichi Dame na Yoru!'' and began airing from August 24, 2012 until December 28, 2012. On January 11, 2014, after becoming a four-man group, KAT-TUN became guests for a special program titled ''KAT-TUN Sekaiichi Tame ni Naru Tabi'' where they traveled to Okinawa (for two episodes), Aomori, Hokkaido and Kumamoto. The 5-part special became a success that the show was soon confirmed to become another regular show for KAT-TUN, retaining the same title of the program. The first episode aired on April 17, 2015 and lasted until the 42nd episode on March 25, 2016. In 2014, KAT-TUN also became the main hosts for the ''

Premium'', replacing Taichi Kokubun from TOKIO. Their stint as the show's main hosts started from April 2014 until March 2016. Another Johnny's group

then replaced them as the hosts of the show.

Radio

The group has had three different radio shows, each hosted by different members and all have aired for several years. Former members Jin Akanishi, Koki Tanaka and Junnosuke Taguchi hosted ''KAT-TUN Style'' together from April 2006 until March 2012. Yuichi Nakamaru and Tatsuya Ueda hosted ''R-One KAT-TUN'' every Tuesday from 12am – 12:30am. Kazuya Kamenashi had his own radio show called ''Kamenashi Kazuya - Kase by Kase'' until it ended on September 20. He has a new radio show called ''Kamenashi Kazuya - Hang Out'' and currently airs every Saturday from 10:20am – 10:50am. Taguchi Junnosuke also had his own radio show called "Tag-tune driving" and a radio show together with Yuichi Nakamaru called "KAT-TUN no Gatsūn" from April 2012 and ended in March 2016.

Musicals

As a group, KAT-TUN has appeared in

's ''

Shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Collective noun *Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names * Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves Healthcare * Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...

'' musical, ''Summary of Johnnys World'' with NEWS and Ya-ya-yah and Johnny's long-running ''Dream Boys'' musicals from 2004 to 2006. Since 2004, member Kazuya Kamenashi has played the lead role in ''Dream Boys'' musicals consecutively each year, after senior

Hideaki Takizawa , also known professionally as , is a Japanese record producer and former singer and actor. In 2002, he debuted with Tsubasa Imai in the group Tackey & Tsubasa under the record label Avex Trax. In 2018, Takizawa retired from entertainment and ...

handed down the role to Kamenashi. Kamenashi and fellow KAT-TUN member Koki Tanaka paired up to play the lead roles for the shows held in 2007 and 2008. The pair collaborated once again as the leads for the 2011 shows alongside fellow KAT-TUN member Yuichi Nakamaru. The 2012 shows for the musical began in September, and once again Kamenashi reprised his role as the lead for the musical.

Concerts

Since their first concert in 2002, granted after overwhelming numbers of fan requests to Johnny's, KAT-TUN regularly holds concerts during almost every season of the year in Japan. This has helped them gain more popularity with their fans. It was considered remarkable for a Johnny's group which had not yet officially debuted to be able to hold its own concerts. KAT-TUN was the first Japanese artist to perform for four days in a row at Tokyo Dome during their ''Queen of Pirates'' tour. The following year, they broke their own record becoming the first artists ever to perform for eight consecutive days at Tokyo Dome during their ''Break The Records: By You & For You 2009'' tour. Now, Johnny & Associates submitted this new record to

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for KAT-TUN to be recognized as the Japanese boy band who broke the records in Tokyo Dome performances. The group (excluding Jin Akanishi) held their biggest ever concert tour in 2010 titled ''KAT-TUN -NO MORE PAIИ- WORLD TOUR 2010'' which consisted of concerts in many major cities across Japan. The tour also included concerts held in Taiwan and Korea; the first time the group has ever toured outside Japan for their official concerts. Although during their pre-debut years, KAT-TUN had on several occasions toured overseas with their senior groups, while they were still Johnny Jrs. Their nationwide tour for 2012 titled ''KAT-TUN LIVE TOUR 2012 CHAIN'' began in Nagiita on Feb 11, they toured 12 cities across Japan including Sendai; which was one of the worst affected areas by the Tohoku earthquake & tsunami disaster back in March 2011.

Commercials

KAT-TUN regularly appeared in TV commercials to endorse for NTT docomo,

SKY PerfecTV! is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that provides satellite television, audio programming and interactive television services to households in Japan, owned by parent company SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation The SKY Perfect JSAT Group is ...

Rohto is a multinational fast-moving consumer goods and pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Japan, with a presence in North America, Europe and Asia. The company is listed on the stock exchange, having posted steady increas ...

and Lotte from 2005 to 2009. Since 2010, member Kazuya Kamenashi endorses

Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka P ...

's Lamdash shaver and DOLTZ electric toothbrush, an
AOKI
3D slim suits. Kamenashi also endorse
KIRIN
s 'Gogo no Kocha' tea since March 2012, and is endorsin
SOURS Gummies
since early 2013. Since early 2011, the group together has endorsed

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

's 'SOLIO' car, and has sung commercial theme songs fo
Sofina
and Wing products. The group are also currently endorsing the mobile game sit
entag!

Events

On August 26–27, 2006 KAT-TUN members were the main personality supporters for the NTV

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons f ...

''24 Hour Television: Love Saves the Earth'' charity program.

Awards

References

External links

Official page on J-Storm/J-One Records

Official page on Johnny's Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kat-Tun Japanese pop music groups Japanese rock music groups Musical groups established in 2001 Johnny & Associates Japanese boy bands Japanese idol groups J Storm Musical groups from Tokyo Jin Akanishi