NEWS (acronym for "North East West South") 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 ...

consisting of

Keiichiro Koyama is a Japanese musician and leader of the Johnny's Entertainment group NEWS. Biography Koyama, born in Sagamihara, Kanagawa as the youngest of two children, is the oldest member of NEWS and is often seen as the mother figure of the group. Upon ...

Takahisa Masuda is a Japanese entertainer with Johnny's Entertainment. Biography Masuda joined Johnny's Entertainment in November 1998. During his junior days, Masuda backdanced for many of his seniors in the agency, such as KAT-TUN, and participated in many ...

and

Shigeaki Kato is a member of the J-pop group NEWS, from Johnny's Entertainment, Inc. Biography Kato was born in Hiroshima, Japan, but he grew up in Osaka and Yokohama-shi. He joined Johnny's Entertainment on April 17, 1999 when he was 11 years-old. As a ...

. Formed in 2003 by

Johnny Kitagawa John Hiromu Kitagawa (Japanese name ; October 23, 1931 – July 9, 2019), known professionally as , was an American-born Japanese businessman and talent manager. He was the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for nu ...

as a nine-member group under the

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

Johnny's Entertainment 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 ...

, NEWS released a promotional single , which was used for the World Cup of Volleyball Championships. In 2004,

Takahiro Moriuchi , known professionally as Taka, is a Japanese singer and musician who is the lead vocalist of the Japanese rock band One Ok Rock. Moriuchi is the band's main lyricist and composer. In 2017, ''Kerrang!'' magazine placed him at number 27 on their l ...

(present-day Taka of

One Ok Rock (stylized in all caps as ONE OK ROCK) is a Japanese rock band, formed in Tokyo, Japan, in 2005. Originally five members, the band currently consists of vocalist Takahiro Moriuchi, guitarist and bandleader Toru Yamashita, bassist Ryota Kohama, a ...

) left the group and the remaining eight members released their debut single, , which debuted atop 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 ...

charts. In 2006, the group released their fifth consecutive number-one single, , as a six-member group due to the controversy surrounding then-members

Hiroki Uchi (born September 10, 1986) is a Japanese idol singer, songwriter, actor and model. He was born in Habikino, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Biography Uchi Hiroki auditioned for Johnny & Associates in May 1999, at the age of twelve. He had no interest i ...

and

Hironori Kusano is a Japanese singer and former member of the J-pop group NEWS, as part of Johnny's Entertainment, Inc., which he joined in February 2001. Biography As a Johnny's Jr., Kusano had also been in other Jr. subgroups including J2000, J-support, a ...

. After a brief hiatus, they released their seventh number-one single, . In 2008, they performed at the

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 ...

for the first time, and released their tenth single, " Happy Birthday", which made NEWS the second Japanese group after label-mates

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 ...

to have ten consecutive number-one singles since their debut. NEWS became a quartet following the departures of

Ryo Nishikido is a Japanese singer and actor. He was formerly under the management of Johnny & Associates as a member of Japanese boy bands Kanjani Eight and News. His first solo album was released in December 2019. Biography Ryo Nishikido was born in Hyogo ...

and

Tomohisa Yamashita , also widely known as , or Tomo, is a Japanese singer, actor, and TV host. Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates as a trainee in 1996 (age 11) and made his small acting debut for NHK's ''Shonentachi'' (1998) and has be ...

from the group in 2011. NEWS became a trio following the departure of

Yuya Tegoshi is a Japanese singer, actor, and television personality. He debuted as a member of Japanese boy band NEWS under Johnny & Associates and was also part of its sub-group, Tegomass. Career 2002–2019: NEWS, Tegomass Tegoshi entered Johnny & ...

in 2020.

History

2003–2006: Debut and departure of members

Formed in September 2003, NEWS released a promotional single, , which was used as the theme song for the World Cup of Volleyball Championships. Before holding their first concert, ,

left the group. NEWS later released their debut single, "Kibō: Yell", which topped the

chart. Their next two singles, (2004) and (2005), both debuted atop the charts, as did NEWS' first album, ''Touch'', which sold 164,016 copies in its first week. In July 2005,

Uchi Hiroki (born September 10, 1986) is a Japanese idol singer, songwriter, actor and model. He was born in Habikino, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Biography Uchi Hiroki auditioned for Johnny & Associates in May 1999, at the age of twelve. He had no interest i ...

was caught for underage drinking and suspended indefinitely from both NEWS and

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 ...

, another group he was a part of. Despite having lost a member, NEWS released their fourth single, , which like its predecessors debuted at number one. In January 2006, NEWS was reduced to six members when

was suspended indefinitely for the same charge as Uchi. NEWS released their fifth single, (March 2006), which was their fifth consecutive number-one single. On May 1, 2006, after NEWS finished their "NEWS Spring Tour", the group went on hiatus.

2007–2010: NEWS' six-member years

On December 30, 2006, it was announced that NEWS would make their return at ''Johnny's Concert Countdown 2006-2007'' as a six-member group, since Hiroki Uchi and Hironori Kusano had been demoted to trainees. To mark their return, NEWS embarked on a tour and released their sixth single . "Hoshi wo Mezashite" became their sixth number-one single, which went on to be used as the theme song for the Japanese version of ''

Happy Feet ''Happy Feet'' is a 2006 computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by George Miller. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, and E.G ...

''. On November 7, NEWS simultaneously released their seventh single, "Weeeek" and their second album, ''

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

''. Both releases debut topped their respective charts with "Weeeek" selling 263,000 copies in its first week and ''Pacific'' selling 196,000 copies in their first week. This marked the tenth in Oricon history that an artist had both their single and album debut top the charts simultaneously. To further support their album, NEWS went on a nationwide tour, ''NEWS Concert Tour Pacific 2007-2008'', from December 15, 2007 to January 27, 2008. Because tickets were in such high demand, two more dates were added to the concert, which resulted in NEWS performing at the

for the first time. In February 2008 NEWS released their eighth number-one single, , which was used as the theme song for the movie ''

Kurosagi is a Japanese manga written by Takeshi Natsuhara and illustrated by Kuromaru. The series is about a boy named Kurosaki who swindles only other professional swindlers known as . The series was adapted as an 11-episode TV drama that was a ...

'', starring

. NEWS released two more number-one singles, "Summer Time" (May 2008) and " Happy Birthday" (October 2008), before releasing their third studio album ''

Color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

'' (November 2008). The release of "Happy Birthday" made NEWS the second group, after the

, to have ten consecutive number-one singles since their debut. ''Color'' debuted at the number one position on the charts, giving NEWS their third consecutive album. NEWS released their new single, on April 29, 2009. It became their 11th number-one single. Their 12th number-one single titled "Sakura Girl" was released on March 31, 2010. At the "Live! Live! Live! NEWS Dome Party 2010" concert at Tokyo Dome, it was announced that NEWS would be releasing their 13th single, "Fighting Man", on November 3.

2011: Becoming a quartet

On October 7, 2011, it was announced that both

and

left the group. The official press release from Johnny & Associates explained that Nishikido was leaving because scheduling conflicts made it difficult for him to be active in both NEWS and Kanjani8, while Yamashita was leaving to concentrate on solo projects. Nishikido continued his activities with

but not NEWS. NEWS continued as a four-member group with

and

2012–2013: NEWS' four-member comeback

On April 15, 2012, a countdown appeared on th
Johnny's Entertainment website
revealing the four current member's outlines, suggesting a comeback. On April 16, Johnny's special site for NEWS restarted its countdown, which hit "0:00:00" on April 18 (12 midnight, JST). The time coincided with NEWS' member Keiichiro Koyama's radio program "K-chan NEWS" to start its broadcast. Koyama's special guests were co-members Tegoshi Yuya, Takahisa Masuda, and Kato Shigeaki. Earlier, Keiichiro Koyama had mentioned something about a new single and best-of album. Fans could participate in their Best of Album. Fans voted for their "Top Four Favorite NEWS songs" on Johnny's Entertainment site starting April 18 at 12 noon, JST. On May 7, JE side announced the new album titled ''NEWS Best''. It was released on June 13. The album came in a regular edition and a limited edition version. Both versions included a CD containing all 15 of the group's A-side singles. The regular edition included an extra CD with the group's top 15 non-single songs as voted by fans. The limited edition included an extra CD with previously unreleased solo songs. On July 18, NEWS released " Chankapana", their first single as a quartet. The single is available in 5 different version and a limited box set collection of all versions. The music video premiered on TV on July 9, 2012. The single sold 121,097 on its first day and went on to become number one on Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. On July 17, 2013, NEWS released their fifth studio album of the same name. The album contains seventeen tracks, four of them being solo songs. The new tracks were used in the group's tenth anniversary tour. The group's logo, a purple square, a pink heart, a yellow triangle, and a green circle, was commonly used in this time period. Each shape and/or represents one member, along with one letter (N, E, W, or S).

2014–2020: NEWS changes

On February 25, 2015, NEWS' released another album, ''White''. Five more albums and 11 singles since then, including a single, "Top Gun/Love Story", which was released on June 6, 2019, and an album, ''Story'', which was released on March 3, 2020. Yuya Tegoshi left the group on June 19, 2020.

2020–present: Releases as a trio

On December 23, 2020, NEWS released "Beautiful / Chinchaumakka / Kanariya" their first single as a trio.

Members

Current members *

– vocals (2003–present) ,group leader (2012–present) *

– vocals (2003–present) *

– vocals (2003–present) Former members *

– vocals (2003) *

– vocals (2003–2005) *

– vocals (2003–2006) *

– vocals (2003–2011) *

– vocals (2003–2020)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * ''

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

'' (2010) * ''

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 ...

'' (2013) * ''White'' (2015) * ''Quartetto'' (2016) * ''Neverland'' (2017) * ''Epcotia'' (2018) * ''

Worldista ''Worldista'' (stylized in all caps) is the 10th studio album by Japanese boy band NEWS. It was released on February 20, 2019, through Johnny's Entertainment, and is the third in the series of albums named after the initials of the band's name, fol ...

'' (2019) * ''Story'' (2020) * ''Ongaku'' (, 2022) Compilation albums * '' NEWS Best'' (2012)

Concerts

* Aishin Taiwan (October 10, 2003, special appearance in Taipei) * A Happy “NEWS” Year 2004 (January 1–4, 2004 Hotel Grand Pacific Meridien, 13 performances) * SUMMARY of Johnny's World (August 8–29, 2004, Harajuku New Big Top, 35 performances) * NEWSnowCONCERT ~NEWS no Konsatou~ December 28, 2004 - January 7, 2005, 13 performances in 2 cities) * NIPPON EAST TO WEST SPRING CONCERT ~Nihon Oudan Taisetsu na Hito e~ (March 31 - May 5, 2005, 14 performances in 5 cities) * Johnny's Theater “SUMMARY 2005” (July 26–28, August 30 - September 4, 2005, Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stellar Ball, 27 performances) * A HAPPY “NEWS” YEAR 2006 (January 3–9, 2006, 12 performances in 2 cities) * NEWS SPRING TOUR 2006 (March 25 - April 30, 2006, 14 performances in 5 cities) * NEWS Concert Tour 2007 (February 17 - April 15, 2007, 21 performances in 8 cities) * NEWS FIRST CONCERT 2007 in Taipei (7 October 2007, Taipei Arena, 2 performances) * NEWS CONCERT TOUR “pacific” 2007-2008 (December 15, 2007 - January 27, 2008, 28 performances in 10 cities) * NEWS WINTER PARTY DIAMOND (October 25, 2008 - January 12, 2009, 39 performances in 10 cities) * LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! NEWS DOME PARTY 2010 (September 18–28, 2010, 7 performances in 2 cities) * NEWS LIVE TOUR ~Utsukushii Koi ni Suru yo~ (August 14, 2012 - September 30, 2012, 10 performances in 7 cities) * NEWS LIVE TOUR 2013 NEWS MAKES YOU HAPPY! MAKES THE WORLD HAPPIER! (July 26, 2013 - August 27, 2013, 14 performances in 7 cities) * NEWS 10th Anniversary in Tokyo Dome (September 7, 2013, 1 performance in 1 city) * NEWS LIVE TOUR 2015 WHITE (March 20 - June 14, 2015, 13 performances in 7 cities) * NEWS LIVE TOUR 2016 QUARTETTO (March 26 - June 12, 2016, 17 performances in 8 cities) * NEWS LIVE TOUR 2017 NEVERLAND (April 1–11 June 2017, 23 performances in 9 cities) * NEWS ARENA TOUR 2018 EPCOTIA (March 31 - May 20, 2018, 24 performances in 8 cities) * NEWS 15th Anniversary LIVE 2018 "Strawberry" (August 11–12, 2018, Ajinomoto Stadium, 2 performances) * NEWS DOME TOUR 2018-2019 EPCOTIA -ENCORE- (December 31, 2018 - January 7, 2019, 4 performances in 2 cities) * NEWS LIVE TOUR 2019 WORLDISTA (March 9, 2019 - May 26, 2019, 27 performances in 9 cities) * NEWS LIVE TOUR 2020 STORY * NEWS LIVE TOUR 2022 ONGAKU ( August 26, 2022 - November 26, 2022 , 25 performances in 8 cities)

Events

* Johnny's Physical Health Day Fans Thanksgiving (October 12, 2003) * NEWS Daishukai (November 9 - December 14, 2003) * NEWS Private Party (September 19 and September 23, 2004) * Atsumare!!!! Chankapaana (August 20–27, 2012)

Phone application

* ''NEWS ni Koishite'' (2018) * ''Strawberry Goods'' (2018)

References

External links

Official website
*(English)''
Official website
__FORCETOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:News Japanese musical groups Japanese boy bands Japanese pop music groups Japanese idol groups Johnny & Associates Musical groups from Tokyo