SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of
Masahiro Nakai
is a Japanese television host, actor, news presenter, radio personality. He was the leader of the now defunct boy band SMAP, which had been the best-selling boy band in Asia. While working as a member of a boy band, he worked extensively as a t ...
,
Takuya Kimura
is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia.
A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...
,
Goro Inagaki
is a Japanese musician and actor from Itabashi, Tokyo. Inagaki was a member of the Japanese pop group SMAP. A year after the group's dissolution, Inagaki, alongside his former bandmates Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori formed the group Atar ...
,
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, and a former member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia.
Early life
Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan.
Career Music
In 1987, at age 13, Kusanagi auditioned to enter Joh ...
, and
Shingo Katori
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left ...
. The group was created in 1988 by music producer
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 ...
, founder of
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 re ...
, originally as a six-piece with Katsuyuki Mori, until his departure from the band in 1996.
The name stands for "Sports Music Assemble People". After making their debut in 1991, the group took the Japanese entertainment industry by storm, becoming one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. The group is often referred to as a "national treasure" and a "fortune and property of the country" in Japan.
SMAP was regarded as an iconic group in Japan, after achieving an unprecedented level of success in numerous genres in the entertainment industry, including music, television, film, radio, and theater, as a group and individually. SMAP was credited for changing the Japanese entertainment and music industry, in terms of prolonging longevity of boy bands and broadening careers by creating new opportunities for bands that followed. After starting out as a typical boy band, with a fan base predominantly female teens, they gradually transformed into a band with a wider audience, expanding their fan base to preteens, male adults, and even the elderly, after their success as actors and television personalities.
SMAP released 55 singles, all of which reached the top 10 in the charts, 22 consecutive number one singles, and 33 number one singles in total. The band has had 24 top 10 albums and 14 number one albums. "
The One and Only Flower in the World", released in 2003, is the best selling single in the 21st century and the third best selling single in Japanese history and has become the most recognized song in Japan, as it appears in text books used in school and children are taught to learn the song at a young age. Other best selling singles by the group include, "Beyond the Night Sky", "Lion Heart", "Shake", "Aoi Inazuma", which also have become the most popular songs in Japan. Throughout their career, the band has sold over 38.5 million records in Japan alone.
In April 1996, the group launched their weekly variety show, ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'', which quickly gained high ratings and became one of the most famous television shows in Japan. The distinct format of the program has received widespread critical praise. The show ranked No. 1 in the annual household share ratings in 1996, 1997, 1999 – 2002, 2006, and 2016 making it the most watched television show in Japan. The episode aired in January 2002 is currently ranked No. 7 for the most watched Japanese variety show in history, with 34.2 million viewers. It is the eighth longest-running prime-time television program in Japan, as of 2016.
SMAP officially disbanded on December 31, 2016.
History
1986–1991: Formation
In 1986,
Masahiro Nakai
is a Japanese television host, actor, news presenter, radio personality. He was the leader of the now defunct boy band SMAP, which had been the best-selling boy band in Asia. While working as a member of a boy band, he worked extensively as a t ...
(age 14), auditioned to enter
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 re ...
, a Japanese talent agency that recruits and trains young boys, preteens to teens, to become singers and members of boy bands. Later, in 1987,
Takuya Kimura
is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia.
A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...
(age 15),
Goro Inagaki
is a Japanese musician and actor from Itabashi, Tokyo. Inagaki was a member of the Japanese pop group SMAP. A year after the group's dissolution, Inagaki, alongside his former bandmates Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori formed the group Atar ...
(age 14),
Katsuyuki Mori
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 ...
(age 13),
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, and a former member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia.
Early life
Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan.
Career Music
In 1987, at age 13, Kusanagi auditioned to enter Joh ...
(age 13), and
Shingo Katori
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left ...
(age 10) auditioned individually and joined the agency. In Autumn 1987, twenty boys, from ages ten to seventeen, were put together into a group called The Skate Boys, which was initially created as backup dancers for a famous boy band,
Hikaru Genji
is the protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's important Heian-era Japanese novel '' The Tale of Genji''. The story describes him as a superbly handsome man and a genius. Genji is the second son of a Japanese emperor, but he is relegated to civi ...
.
In April 1988, producer
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 ...
chose six out of the twenty boys to create a new boy band and named them "SMAP".
While the group continued to work as backup dancers for Hikaru Genji, they spent their early years as actors and television personalities. In 1988, they starred in a weekly variety program, ''Watto Atsumare'', with
Masataka Itsumi and
Cha Kato and appeared regularly until the program ended several months later. In 1989, they started to host their own music show, ''Uta no Big Fight'' and ''Pop City X'', as well as appearing regularly on a variety program, ''Idol Kyowakoku'', from 1989 to 1991. In 1988, SMAP made their acting debut in a drama television series, ''Abunai Shonen III'', playing themselves as the main role. Their first self-titled variety program, ''SMAP no Gakuen Kids'', aired from 1990 to 1991.
1991–1993: Debut and early years
On January 1, 1991, the band held their first concert in
Nippon Budokan and their first tour from March through April, before releasing any music.
On September 9, 1991, they released their first single, "Can't Stop -Loving-" from
Victor Entertainment
, also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...
, which peaked at No. 2 on the charts. Subsequent singles, "Seigi no Mikata wa Ate ni Naranai", "Kokoro no Kagami", "Makeru na Baby" peaked in the top 10. The band asked the fans to write the lyrics for "Kokoro no Kagami", and the one submitted by a fourteen-year-old girl was chosen. The song was later used in a
Panasonic
formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
television commercial. They were invited to perform the song at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'', an annual music show, on December 31, 1991.
At the same time of their debut, the Japanese music industry experienced what is frequently referred to as an "Idol Ice Age", where many of the popular music shows that aired weekly since the 1980s ended, and singers and bands lost a place to perform, resulting in scarce opportunities for TV exposure. Therefore, the agency decided to market the band through variety programs, where members participated in sketch comedies and game shows along with other television personalities. This non-mainstream marketing approach turned out to be a success, as the members' humorous and playful spirits on these shows propelled them to gain new fans, despite not having many musical performances on television since their debut.
In 1991, the band's first self-titled television show, ''SMAP no Gakuen Kids'', got renewed and changed to, ''I Love SMAP'', which aired until 1996. From October 7, 1991, Inagaki launched his radio program, ''Stop The SMAP'', still airing as of 2016. From April 1992 to September 1995, the group appeared regularly on a weekly variety program, ''Yume ga Mori Mori''. Due to the fact that this was the first time in Japanese history, that a band participated in a sketch comedy, this rare act attracted wide attention.
On January 1, 1992, they released their first album, ''SMAP 001'', which peaked at No. 14 and released another album, ''SMAP 002'', in the same year and peaked at No. 6. Their singles, "Egao no Genki", "Yuki ga Futtekita", "Zutto Wasurenai", "Hajimete no Natsu", "Kimi wa Kimi dayo", "$10", and "Kimi iro Omoi", released from 1992 through 1994, all peaked at the top 10. They headlined three tours in 1992, from January to August. In 1993, they released their third and fourth album, ''SMAP 003'' and ''SMAP 004'', which peaked at No. 11 and No. 3 respectively. In 1992, Inagaki starred in a drama television series, ''Hatachi no Yakusoku'', as the main role. In 1993, Kimura starred in a drama television series, ''
Asunaro Hakusho
is a Japanese manga series by Fumi Saimon that was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Big Comic Spirits''. It won the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga in 1992.
Cast
*Hikari Ishida as Narumi Sonoda
* Michitaka Tsutsui as Tamotsu Kakei
*Ta ...
'', which became a massive hit, with an average household share rating of 27% and 31.9% for the season finale. Kimura's popularity soared and from then on, members of the band started their acting careers individually.
1994–1995: Breakthrough, "Gambarimashou", and ''SMAP 007 Gold Singer''
In 1994, they released two albums, ''SMAP 005'' and ''SMAP 006 Sexy Six'', which both peaked at No. 2. On March 12, 1994, they released their 12th single, "Hey Hey Ookini Maidoari", which gave the band their first number one hit. Subsequent singles, "Original Smile", peaked at No. 2 and "Gambarimashou", and "Tabun Alright", reached number one. The two number-one singles became the band's ninth and tenth best selling single. "Gambarimashou" saw a jump in sales from the previous singles, becoming one of the most popular songs in Japan and helped the band gain a broader fan base. From 2002, "Original Smile" appeared on text books used in music classes in high school. From April 1994, Nakai and Katori started starring on the most famous Japanese daytime live television program, ''
Waratte Iitomo
was a Japanese variety show aired every weekday on Fuji TV. The show was hosted by Tamori (Kazuyoshi Morita) and ran from 1982 to 2014. The show was produced in the Studio Alta building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The show featured a series of regular ...
''. In October 1995, Kusanagi joined in and the three members appeared regularly for 20 years, Katori on Mondays, Nakai on Tuesdays, and Kusanagi on Fridays, until the program ended in 2014. From July to August, the band held their first large-scale tour, ''Sexy Six Show'', hitting the three major cities in Japan. The tour was released on VHS on November 11, 1994, and later on DVD on December 24, 2003. On March 12, 1994, SMAP starred in their first film, ''Shoot!''. The film aired on television for the first time on January 4, 2010, sixteen years after its release.
On January 1, 1995, the band released their first compilation album, ''Cool'', which reached number one. The band gave an opportunity for fans to create the track list and the top fourteen of their favorite songs made it into the album. Singles released in 1995, "Kansha shite", "Shiyouyo", "Donna Iikoto", and "Oretachini Asu wa Aru", all reached number one on the charts, giving the band six consecutive number-one singles since "Gambarimasho" released in the previous year. "Oretachini Asu wa Aru" became the band's sixth best selling single. From January 1995, Kimura launched his weekly radio program, ''What's Up SMAP'', still airing as of 2016. In January 1995, Nakai landed his first drama television series, ''Ajiichi Monme'', which became an instant hit. Two seasons and four special episodes were made through 1995 to 2013. While he started to pursue his acting career, he also started to work individually as a television personality and as a news presenter, carrying many of his own television programs, which lead to expanding the capacity of a boy band.
From April 1995, the group launched a variety show, ''SMAP no Gambarimashou'', derived from the single released the previous year, which aired on weeknights. The content of the show changed daily. On Mondays they performed a theatrical act, Tuesdays were talk show-based with a musical segment, on Wednesdays they aired a short TV movie that they starred in, Thursdays were talk show-based with a guest celebrity, and on Fridays they performed sketch comedy. It is said that this program became a basic framework for ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'' which started a year after the program began. From April 1995, Kusanagi and Katori launched their radio program, ''SMAP Power Splash''.
From July 1, 1995, Nakai launched his weekly radio program, ''Some Girl SMAP'' still airing as of 2016. On July 7, 1995, they released their seventh album, ''SMAP 007 Gold Singer'', which became their first number-one studio album and was certified double platinum. They launched a tour, ''Summer Minna Atumare Party''. After this tour, the band started to be called one of the hardest bands to get concert tickets for. In August 1995, they hosted the annual telethon, ''24 Hour Television'', and raised 1.2 billion yen. The band started performing at an annual music show, ''FNS Kayosai'', and has become one of the main performers of the show since. From 2005, Kusanagi became the host of the show until he passed on the position to a comedian in 2014. In December 1995, they hosted a TV special, ''Sanma&SMAP'', with comedian
Sanma Akashiya
is a Japanese comedian, TV presenter, radio personality and actor most commonly known as Sanma-san. His real name is . His talent agency is Yoshimoto Kogyo and his shishô (master) back when he studied ''rakugo'' is Shōfukutei Matsunosuke.
Tog ...
and the program has become an annual event since for
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 Televis ...
, with 21 episodes aired.
1996–1997: ''SMAP×SMAP'', Lonvaca phenomenon, Mori's departure, and "Shake"
On March 3, 1996, they released their eighth album, ''SMAP 008 Tacomax'', which peaked at No. 2, with over 500,000 copies sold. Singles "Munasawagi wo Tanomuyo" and "Hadaka no Osama" both peaked at No. 2 on the charts and was certified double Platinum. "Hadaka no Osama" became Mori's last single before his departure from the group. The band released another album, ''SMAP 009'', on August 12, which reached number one. From March to April, they held their last tour as a six-piece.
On April 15, 1996, SMAP launched their self-titled variety show, ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'', commonly known as "SmaSma" (suma-suma), which was their first program on a prime-time slot. Along with the band's ability to entertain and their humorous personalities, the distinct format of the program received widespread critical praise. The show quickly gained high ratings, as it topped the rankings of annual household share ratings, dominating other existing popular programs. Consisting with an interview/cooking-based segment "Bistro SMAP", sketch comedy series, games, and musical performances by the group and with other musical guests, the program has had countless guests from around the world and is known for being the show with the widest range of guests in Japanese television history. The show ranked No. 1 in the annual household share ratings in 1996, 1997, 1999 – 2002, 2006, and 2016 making it the most watched television show in Japan. The episode aired in January 2002 is currently ranked No. 7 for the most watched Japanese variety show in history, with 34.2 million viewers. It is the eighth longest-running prime-time television program in Japan and
Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
's second longest-running prime-time television program, as of 2016.
From April to June 1996, Nakai, Kimura, and Katori each landed a role on a drama television series. Nakai played the main role in ''Shori no Megami'', Kimura in ''
Long Vacation
''Long Vacation'' (, also known as ) is a Japanese television drama series from Fuji Television, first shown in Japan from 15 April to 24 June 1996.
The show's high ratings in Japan made Takuya Kimura popular in the Asia-Pacific region and is ...
'', and Katori in ''Tomei Ningen''. All three series were successful and gained high ratings. Among the three, Kimura's ''Long Vacation'', which aired Monday nights, became a major success and a social phenomenon. Magazines and other media stated that, "women disappear from the city on Mondays", pointing out the large viewership and how intoxicating the show was for women in Japan. After Kimura playing a young pianist, there was a rapid increase of young men who started taking piano lessons. The cultural impact and influences of the show is commonly referred to as the "Lonvaca (ron-bake) phenomenon". This was also a breakthrough for Kimura as an actor and helped him gain recognition and a more broad fan base.
In May 1996, Mori's departure from the band was announced.
Mori had always wanted to pursue
Auto Racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
, a Japanese version of motorcycle speedway, since he was a child. Due to the fact that there was an age limit of twenty-three for students who wanted to attend school for Auto Race, Mori left the band at age of twenty-two. On May 27, a special episode on ''SMAP×SMAP'', dedicated to Mori, was created and aired SMAP's last performance as a six-piece. Nakai said that he had an emotional breakdown after Mori's leave, not wanting to continue as a five-piece, fearing that their popularity will plummet and that he wished for a breakup.
On July 13 and 14, 1996, they hosted the annual twenty-seven-hour long television special, ''FNS 27 Hour Television''. On July 15, 1996, the band released their single, "Aoi Inazuma", the first material released after Mori's departure, which reached number one on the charts. Their subsequent single, "Shake" was released in November, also reaching number one. These two songs were both certified triple platinum and became the band's fifth and fourth best selling single, respectively. "Shake" has surpassed one million copies in terms of shipments. From July to August, they held their second stadium tour, ''Chomugendaisho'', which was the first tour after Mori's departure.
On January 3, 1997, SMAP starred in a TV movie, ''Boku ga Boku de Aru Tame ni''. In February 1997, they released their single, "Dynamite", which peaked at No. 3 in the charts and became the band's eighth best selling single. In May 1997, they released their twenty-fifth single, "Celery", which was a cover of a song first released by singer-songwriter
Masayoshi Yamazaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter who plays guitar-driven blues, rock, and pop music, though he has also recorded piano ballads. Though he primarily plays the guitar, he has played the drums, piano, percussion, saxophone, and glockenspiel on so ...
in 1996. Although Yamazaki's original version did not turn out to be a success, the cover version by SMAP peaked at No. 2 and was certified double Platinum. The band became a catalyst for the recognition of the song, turning it into one of the most popular songs in Japan. On March 26, 1997, the band released its second compilation album, ''Wool'', which peaked at No. 2.
From April to June 1997, Kusanagi landed a role in a drama television series, ''Ii Hito''. The band's single "Celery" became the theme song for the show. Nakai and Kimura made a cameo appearance on the show. Nakai, Kimura, Inagaki, and Katori had played a main role in a television series and with Kusanagi starring in ''Ii Hito'', all five members had become leading man-class actors.
From July to September 1997, the band headlined their third stadium tour, ''SMAP 1997 Su'', which was released through VHS and DVD on December 17, 1997. On August 6, 1997, the band released their tenth album, ''SMAP 011 Su'', which peaked at No. 3 in the charts and was certified Platinum. From this point on, SMAP changed the pace of their releases from two albums per year to one, due to their busy schedules after experiencing individual success, as actors and television personalities. In September 1997, they released a new single, "Peace", which peaked at No. 2. On December 31, 1997, they performed at the annual music show, ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'', for the seventh consecutive year. While they appeared as the performer for the previous six years, Nakai became the host of the show, which is the most prestigious job for television personalities. Nakai also hosted the program in 1998 and established himself as a highly regarded host on television.
1998–2000: "Beyond the Night Sky", "Lion Heart", and Shingo Mama phenomenon
On January 14, 1998, the band's twenty-seventh single, "Beyond the Night Sky", was released. It reached number one on the charts and became the best selling single of that month and the second best selling single of that year.
The song became the band's second best selling single, with over 1,620,000 physical copies sold. From April 2002, it has appeared in text books used in music classes in middle school and has become one of the most recognized songs in Japan. Many artists have released a cover since its release. Its subsequent single, "Taisetsu", which was used as the theme song for Nakai's drama television series, ''Brothers'', peaked at No. 4 and was certified platinum. On June 18, 1998, the band released their eleventh album, ''SMAP 012 Viva Amigos'', which reached number one in the charts and became their tenth best selling album. The band headlined their fourth stadium tour, ''Viva Amigos''. The tour was released through VHS on December 24, 1998, and later through DVD on December 6, 2000.
From October 1998, Nakai and Katori launched their own variety program, ''SataSma'', which was created and aimed towards younger viewers and families. Katori starred in a segment titled, "Shingo Mama's Secret Breakfast", where Katori would
cross-dress
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself.
Cross-dressing has play ...
into a character called, "Shingo Mama", and visit houses to cook breakfast for children instead of their mother, allowing her to sleep in and rest in the morning. Katori started to use the phrase, "Ohha", a pun for "Ohayo", meaning "good morning" during the segment as his trademark phrase, which soon became a popular word used among children. Shingo Mama, the lovable character Katori played, and the phrase "Ohha", became a social phenomenon. As a result, SMAP incidentally brought in kindergartners and preteens to their fan base.
In January 1999, the band released "Asahi wo Mini Ikouyo", which peaked at number 3 and its subsequent single, "Fly", peaked at number 2 in the charts. On January 3, 1999, SMAP starred in a special episode on the popular Japanese detective-drama television series ''
Furuhata Ninzaburo Furuhata (written: 古畑 or 降旗) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Koji Furuhata (born 1933), Japanese actor
*, Japanese idol and singer
*, Japanese model and actress
*, Japanese film director
{{surname
Japanese ...
'', as themselves. The episode became the most watched program among all television series broadcast in 1999, with 32.3 million viewers, and the second most watched television program after an episode of ''SMAP×SMAP''. On July 14, 1999, they released their twelfth album, ''Birdman SMAP 013'', which peaked at No. 2. From July to September, they headlined their fifth stadium tour, ''SMAP 1999 Tour Birdman''. The tour was released through VHS on December 22, 1999, and through DVD on January 1, 2000.
In August 2000, the band released their thirty-second single, "Lion Heart", which became a massive success with over 1,560,000 copies sold, reaching number one on the charts for two consecutive weeks.
The song was used as the theme song for Kusanagi's drama television series, ''Food Fight'', and became the band's third best selling single. It quickly became one of the most recognized songs in Japan. In August 2000, Katori also released a single, "Shingo Mama's Oha Rock", as Shingo Mama, which reached number one on the charts with over 1,300,000 physical copies sold and became a social phenomenon.
James Brown guest-starred in the music video, along with other Japanese celebrities who made cameo appearances. In December 2000, the term "Ohha", used by Katori, won the ''Ryukougo Taisho'', an annual traditional event of announcing words that describes that year.
On October 14, 2000, the band released their thirteenth album, ''S map SMAP 014''. From this point on, SMAP changed the pace of their releases from one album per year to one album every two years, due to their busy individual schedules, as actors and television personalities. They headlined their sixth stadium tour, ''S map Tour'', from October to November. The tour was released through DVD on March 14, 2001. The number of shows performed changed to one per day from this tour on. Kimura announced his marriage to singer
Shizuka Kudo
, known by her maiden name , is a Japanese singer, actress and former idol, born in Hamura, Tokyo, Japan. She was a member of Onyanko Club between May 1986 and September 1987 and went on to have a successful solo career with 11 number-one hits ...
and her pregnancy during the tour. He had a press conference after the show at
Saitama Super Arena
is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making i ...
.
2001–2003: ''SMAP Vest'', ''pamS'', ''Drink SMAP'', "The One and Only Flower in the World", and ''MIJ''
On March 23, 2001, the band released their third compilation album, ''Smap Vest'', which reached number one in the charts. It sold one million copies during the first week of release and 1,800,000 copies in total, becoming the band's best selling album. Singles, "Smac" and "freebird", peaked at No. 3 and No. 1 on the charts respectively. "Smac" was released as the 10th anniversary single and lyrics from the band's past singles were put together and made into a new song. On August 8, 2001, another compilation album, ''pamS'' (read as "Ura-suma"), was released just four months after ''Smap Vest''. It was a compilation of fan-favorites and songs that the members personally like, that aren't usually sang on tour or on television, such as B-sides and songs from past albums. From July to September, the band launched their seventh stadium tour, ''pamS Tour'', which was also their first five-dome tour and the first five-dome tour ever headlined in history. SMAP invented the concept of a "five-dome tour", a tour that hits the five dome-shaped stadiums located in Japan (Tokyo,
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
,
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
,
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
, and
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
). Since the invention of this new touring style, the five-dome tour is now used by many artists in Japan, as a symbol of being a first-rank artist in the music industry. The ''pamS Tour'' was released through DVD on December 21, 2001.
Throughout the year 2001, all five members starred in their own drama television series individually. Nakai starred in ''Shiroi Kage'', Kimura in a detective series, ''
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
'', Inagaki in ''Onmyoji'', and Kusanagi in ''Star no Koi''. Katori starred in a special episode of a comedy-drama television series, ''Ohha wa Sekai wo Sukuu''. All programs were that year's high-rated programs. Among all shows, ''Hero'' became a massive success, becoming the most highest rated television series in Japanese history, becoming the only television series to have all episodes marking above the 30% sharehold rate.
On July 24, 2002, they released their fourteenth album, ''SMAP 015/Drink! Smap!'', which peaked at No. 2 in the charts and became the band's fourth best selling album. The title was derived from a superseded soft drink, called SMAP, which was sold in Japan in the 1980s. From July 23, 2002, a canned soft drink, Drink SMAP, was launched from
Kirin Beverage Corporation. Six million drinks were shipped on the day of its release. From July to November, they launched their eighth stadium tour, ''SMAP 02 Drink Smap Tour'', which became the largest tour in terms of attendance in Japanese history, with a total attendance of 1.2 million. They decided mainly to use soccer stadiums for their venues, as it was the year the
2002 FIFA World Cup was held. The tour was released through DVD on March 5, 2003. On September 21, 2002, they released their first video album, ''Clip! Smap!'', a collection of ten music videos released since 1996.
On March 5, 2003, the band's thirty-fifth single, "
The One and Only Flower in the World", was released. It reached number one in the charts for three consecutive weeks twice and for seven non-consecutive weeks. It became the best selling single in the 21st century and the fifth best selling single in Japanese history. The song appears in text books used in school as children are taught to learn the song at a young age and has become one of the most recognized songs in Japan. It is the band's best selling single, with over 2,700,000 physical copies sold and their first record to sell over two million copies. In 2012,
JASRAC
The , often referred to as JASRAC, is a Japanese copyright collection society. It was founded in 1939 as a nonprofit organization, and is the largest musical copyright administration society in Japan.
Overview
JASRAC's main business activity i ...
, announced the winner of the JASRAC Award, in celebration of the award created in 1982. "The One and Only Flower in the World" received the award, as the copyrighted work in music with the highest paid royalties within the past thirty years. After thirteen years from its release, the single has continued to chart in the Top 200, for a total of two-hundred non-consecutive weeks and is currently ranked second with the highest total weeks in the charts, after "
Nada Soso" (232 non-consecutive weeks). The song has been covered and re-arranged by
heavy metal guitarist
Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 unti ...
on his 2006 album ''
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...
''.
On June 25, 2003, they released their fifteenth album, ''SMAP 016/MIJ'', which peaked at number one and became the band's eighth best selling album. From July to September 2003, the band launched their ninth stadium tour, ''MIJ Tour''. SMAP became the third artist in history to hold a concert at the
International Stadium Yokohama
, also known as , is a multi-purpose stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which opened in March 1998. It is the home stadium of Yokohama F. Marinos of the J1 League.
International Stadium Yokohama had the highest seating capac ...
, after
B'z and
Eikichi Yazawa
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, and a prominent figure in Japanese popular music. Yoko Yazawa of The Generous is his daughter. He has been nicknamed as Ei-chan (永ちゃん), Boss or The King of Rock.
Biography
Sources:
1949-1967: Early Lif ...
. Due to scheduling conflicts with Katori's
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 terrestr ...
Taiga drama, ''Shinsengumi'', the number of shows were reduced compared to previous years, though the number of attendees surpassed one million two years in a row. The tour was released through DVD on December 24, 2003.
On December 31, 2003, SMAP appeared on the annual music show on
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 terrestr ...
, ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'', and performed "The One and Only Flower in the World". Out of the fifty-eight artists on the program, SMAP performed last for the first time, serving as the ''ootori'', the most honorable and prestigious title in the Japanese music industry. SMAP became the first pop artist and the first group in history to perform as the ''ootori'' since the program started in 1951, as ''Kohaku'' is a historical and traditional music program and
enka
is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, ...
artists dominated the position of the ''ootori''. As artists are ranked according to the ratings during their performance, SMAP ranked number one out of fifty-eight artists and was the most watched act of that year's Kohaku, with a household share rating of 57.1%.
2004–2005: Individual activities and ''SAMPLE Bang''
Although all five members were able to work actively as a group while pursuing solo careers since their debut, in 2004, their solo projects were on a tight schedule compared to the previous years, as they all carried their own television programs and worked as actors, on both television and film. They were not able to rearrange their schedules to fit in a time to work as a group, besides the taping of their weekly television program, ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
''. It was announced that the band did not have a single day that all five members could meet together, other than the taping of ''SMAP×SMAP'', which happened four times a month, commenting on the impossibility of shooting a music video, promoting a record, or going on tour. This led to a musical hiatus in a way, although they continued to perform their songs every week in a musical segment on ''SMAP×SMAP''. This was the first time in thirteen years that the band did not release any new material or go on tour. A song titled "Wonderful Life" was initially scheduled to become the band's new single in 2004. After finding out that the release was unlikely, they first decided to wait until the coming year but later had Inagaki release the song as a solo artist instead. He created a temporary stage name, &G, and made his solo debut in March and the single reached number one in the charts.
From August 2004, Nakai launched his career as a
sportscaster and became the host of the Olympic games on
TBS. "Susume Gold", a remix of their song form their fifteenth album, ''SMAP 016/MIJ'', was scheduled to be released on September 8, 2004, as the band's thirty-sixth single but was later canceled. The song served as the official song of the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
and used during its television coverage on TBS. In December 2004, SMAP aired a television special as an apology for their musical hiatus and to show the fans their appreciation for their support on the group's solo projects. By the end of 2004, their single, "The One and Only Flower in the World", released in 2003, had become the best selling single in the 21st century and the most recognized song in Japan. Although many assumed that the band would be performing the song again at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'' as the ''ootori'', as they did the previous year, the band declined their invitation from the show due to not releasing any new music in 2004. ''Kohaku'' experienced a fall in ratings that year and became the lowest-rated ''Kohaku'' in history and the absence of SMAP is thought to be the cause of this.
In January 2005, the band released their new single, "Tomodachi e Say What You Will", a cover of
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
's "Say What You Will", which reached number one in the charts. Its subsequent singles, "Bang Bang Vacation" and "Triangle", and their sixteenth album, ''Sample Bang!'', released on July 27, 2005, all reached number one in the charts as well. "Triangle" served as the official song of all sports broadcasts on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
, such as the
2006 Winter Olympics, the
2006 World Baseball Classic, and the
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. It was featured during the television coverage on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
from November 2005 through March 2006. Later in 2008, it was announced that "Triangle" would be appearing on text books used in music classes in school. From July to September 2005, they launched their tenth stadium tour, ''SMAP to Iku SMAP Sample Tour''. SMAP became the first artist in history to perform at the
National Olympic Stadium. The tour was released through DVD on December 14, 2005. In August 2005,
Soichi Noguchi
is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and former JAXA astronaut. His first spaceflight was as a Mission Specialist aboard STS-114 on 26 July 2005 for NASA's first "return to flight" Space Shuttle mission after the ''Columbia'' disaster. He was a ...
, a Japanese
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
, played SMAP's hit single, "The One and Only Flower in the World", while flying in the
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' and it became the second Japanese song played in space. Noguchi also took with him, food that Inagaki, Kusanagi, and Katori cooked in Bistro SMAP, a cooking segment aired on ''SMAP×SMAP'', when he made a guest appearance on the show. On August 27 and 28, Kusanagi and Katori hosted
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 Televis ...
's annual
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'', and raised one billion yen. It also became the highest-rated ''24 Hour Television'' since its launch in 1978. On December 31, SMAP performed "Triangle" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
''. As artists are ranked according to the ratings during their performance, SMAP ranked number one out of fifty-four artists, and was the most watched act of that year's ''Kohaku'', with a household share rating of 48.6%.
2006–2010: ''Pop Up! Smap'', ''super.modern.artistic.performance'', and ''We are SMAP''
In April 2006, the band released their single, "Dear Woman", and its subsequent single, "Arigato" in October, both which reached number one in the charts. "Dear Woman" became one of the most recognized songs in Japan after being used in a shampoo commercial in Japan.
Katori designed the cover art for "Arigato". "Arigato" served as the official song of the
2016 Summer Olympics, ten years after its release, and was featured during its television coverage on
TBS. On July 26, 2006, the band released their seventeenth album, ''Pop Up! SMAP'', which reached number one and became their ninth best selling album. From July to October, they launched their eleventh stadium tour, ''Pop Up! SMAP Tobimasu Tobidasu Tobisma Tour'', and recorded an attendance of over one million, three years in a row. The tour was released through DVD on December 6, 2006. On December 31, SMAP performed "Arigato" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'' as the ''ootori'' for the second time. As artists are ranked according to the ratings during their performance, SMAP ranked number one out of fifty-eight artists, and was the most watched act of that year's ''Kohaku'', with a household share rating of 48.8%.
On January 18, 2007, "The One and Only Flower in the World" was chosen as one of ''
Nihon no Uta Hyakusen'', a collection of one-hundred songs, widely beloved in Japan and encouraged to be sung in future generations. On September 8, 2007, Kimura starred in ''
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
'', a sequel to the 2001–2005 detective television series of the same name. The film was a commercial success and became the highest-grossing film that year, as well as becoming the second highest-grossing film among all films starred by a SMAP member, after ''
Howl's Moving Castle
''Howl's Moving Castle'' is a fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books of New York. It was a runner-up for the annual Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and won the Phoenix Award twenty years ...
'' (2004) starring Kimura. In December 2007, they released a new single, "Dangan Fighter", which reached number one in the charts. It served as the official song of all sports broadcasts on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
and was featured during its television coverage. On December 31, SMAP performed "Dear Woman"and "Dangan Fighter" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
''. As artists are ranked according to the ratings during their performance, SMAP ranked number one out of fifty-four artists, and was the most watched act of that year's ''Kohaku'', with a household share rating of 43.9%. Their hit single from 2003, "The One and Only Flower in the World" was performed by all fifty-four artists together as the finale and marked 46.1%.
In March 2008, they released a double-A-side single, "Sonomama / White Message", which reached number one, giving them forty-two consecutive top ten singles. Its subsequent single, "Sono toki, Kitto Yume janai", also topped the chart at number one, giving the band ten consecutive number ones. It also served as the official song of the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
and was featured during the television coverage on
TBS. On September 24, 2008, they released their eighteenth album, ''
super.modern.artistic.performance'', which reached number one in the charts.
Will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
from
The Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...
produced the opening track, "Theme of 019", and also wrote and produced Katori's solo on the album, "Here Is Your Hit". SMAP became the second artist in history to have a total album sales of ten million, after
Chage and Aska
were a Japanese popular music duo composed of male singer-songwriters from Fukuoka Prefecture: and . To date they have sold over 31 million albums and singles in Japan.
History
They were formed in the late 1970s at the suggestion of the A&R ...
. The band launched their twelfth stadium tour, ''super.modern.artistic.performance tour'', from September to December. The tour was released through DVD on December 17, 2008, and later through Blu-ray on March 26, 2014. On December 31, SMAP performed "Sono toki, Kitto Yume janai" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
''.
On January 31, 2009, SMAP hosted a three-hour television special, ''SMAP Gambarimasu'', and became an annual television program until 2013, with five episodes aired in total. In August 2009, they released a double-A-side single, "Sotto Kyutto / Super Star", which reached number one. "Sotto Kyutto" served as the theme song for Kusanagi's high-rated drama television series, ''Ninkyo Helper'', aired in 2009. "Super Star" served as the official song of all sports broadcasts on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
and was featured during its television coverage. The song was first aired through a live broadcast of the
2009 World Aquatics Championships. On December 31, SMAP performed "Sotto Kyutto" and "The One and Only Flower in the World" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
''.
On April 26, 2010, it was announced that SMAP would be hosting an event for their fans in China on June 13, 2010, as a part of
Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in the tr ...
, though it was later canceled to avoid complications at the venue. Private companies in Shanghai released proposals stating that SMAP will be holding a concert at Shanghai as a pre-event of the expo, although they were later denied by
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 re ...
and
Victor Entertainment
, also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...
, informing the fans that they were ticket frauds. The band was scheduled to have their concert on October 9 and 10, at the
Shanghai Stadium
The Shanghai Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Shanghai. Between 2009 and 2019, the stadium hosted home matches of the Chinese Super League team Shanghai SIPG.
History
The stadium opened on 14 March 1999 when the eighth National Games o ...
but was canceled due to the deteriorating
Sino-Japanese relations Sino-Japanese is often used to mean:
* Sino-Japanese vocabulary: That portion of the Japanese vocabulary that is of Chinese origin or makes use of morphemes of Chinese origin (similar to the use of Latin/Greek in English).
* Kanbun: A Japanese meth ...
. After many discussions and negotiations, the concert was indefinitely put on hold for safety reasons.
On July 21, 2010, they released their nineteenth album, ''We are SMAP!'', which reached number one, giving the band five consecutive number one albums. The band launched their thirteenth stadium tour, ''We are SMAP'', from July to September. It was announced that the total number of concert attendees throughout their career surpassed ten million. During a show on September 16, SMAP announced that former band member, Mori, was in the audience. The tour was released through DVD on December 8, 2010, and later through Blu-ray on March 26, 2014, and reached number one on the charts. From July 6, 2010, a bottled
sports drink
Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and especially after training or competition. There are many perceived bene ...
, called We Are SMAP was sold in Japan. In August 2010, they released their new single, "This is love", written for them by
Love Psychedelico
is a Japanese rock band, often called Delico for short. They are popular not only in Japan but also Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Members
* Kumi (Born April 11, 1976, in Chiba Prefecture) – lead vocals, guitars, etc.
** Kumi speaks English because ...
, which reached number one. On December 19, 2010, they hosted their annual television special, ''Sanma&SMAP'', with comedian
Sanma Akashiya
is a Japanese comedian, TV presenter, radio personality and actor most commonly known as Sanma-san. His real name is . His talent agency is Yoshimoto Kogyo and his shishô (master) back when he studied ''rakugo'' is Shōfukutei Matsunosuke.
Tog ...
, which became the highest-rated program aired that year, with a household share of 23.4%. On December 31, SMAP performed "This is love" and "Triangle" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'' as the ''ootori'' for the third time and for the first time in four years. As artists are ranked according to the ratings during their performance, SMAP ranked number one out of forty-four artists, and was the most watched act of that year's ''Kohaku'', with a household share rating of 48.9%
2011–2015: ''Smap Aid'', ''Gift of Smap'', and ''Mr.S''
From March 2011, SMAP has shown active philanthropic support to the victims and regions affected by the
2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. On May 4, their first and only
digital single
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...
, "Not Alone" was released. It was initially scheduled to serve as the band's 46th single but was canceled and released digitally in light of the earthquake and the situation in Japan, considering circumstances in power shortages and distribution. One hundred yen per single downloaded was donated to the victims. On July 23 and 24, 2011, Nakai hosted the annual twenty-seven-hour long television special, ''FNS 27 Hour Television'', for the fifth time. A special episode of "Bistro SMAP" was aired during the show, titled "Bistro SMAP On The Go". Four members flew to regions that were affected by the tsunami, Kimura and Inagaki to
Iwate Prefecture and Kusanagi and Katori to
Fukushima
may refer to:
Japan
* Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture
** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
***Fukushima University, national university in Japan
*** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...
. The four members cooked a total of one-thousand meals to the victims evacuated in these areas. Nakai started to host his own music show, ''Ongaku no Hi'', meaning "music day", to show their support to all those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The program is aired every summer since 2011.
On August 17, 2011, the band released their fifth compilation album, ''SMAP Aid'', to support the people affect by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It was released for a limited- time period, until the end of December 2011. Two-hundred yen per album sold were donated to the victims. Fans were given the opportunity to create the track list by voting their favorite songs through the internet. The top fifteen songs made it into the album and the complete track list was announced on ''SMAP×SMAP'' on August 8, 2011. The album reached number one and was certified platinum. Although they released an album, concerts were not held in consequence of the earthquake and tsunami but the band decided to host fan meetings in various venues, including the Seibuen Theme Park in
Saitama, where they had their first fan meeting on the day of the debut in 1991. On September 16, 2011, their postponed concert in China was held in
Peking
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. The concert was released through DVD on December 7, 2011, and reached number one on the charts. After several fan meetings at small venues, on November 12 and 13, they hosted another event, titled FanxFun Party, at
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 those who couldn't make it to the previous ones held that year. In December 2011, they released their new single, "Boku no Hanbun", which reached number one. Throughout the year, a Chinese version of their hit singles, "The One and Only Flower in the World" and "Beyond the Night Sky" was released in China. On December 31, they performed "Not Alone" and "Original Smile" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'', as the ''ootori'', for the fourth time.
In April 2012, they released their new single, "Sakasama no Sora", which reached number one in the charts. The song was used as the theme song for
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 terrestr ...
's television drama series, ''
Umechan Sensei
is a Japanese television drama series. It debuted on April 2, 2012. It is about a girl named Umeko Shimomura who, despite being overshadowed by her talented older brother and sister, and despite being thought of as a clumsy child, decides to follo ...
'', and SMAP became the first artist 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 re ...
to contribute a song to an
asadora
, colloquially known as , is a serialized, 15 minutes per episode, Japanese television drama program series broadcast in the mornings by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The first such series aired in 1961 with the black-and-white , starring Take ...
.
On August 1, 2012, they released their new single, "Moment", and their twentieth album, ''Gift of SMAP'', on August 8, both which reached number one in the charts. "Moment" served as the official song of the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and was featured during the television coverage on
TBS. They launched their fourteenth stadium tour, ''Gift of SMAP Concert Tour'', from August to December. The number of attendees for one tour surpassed one million, for the first time six years. The tour was released through DVD on December 5, 2012, and later through Blu-ray on March 26, 2014, and reached number one in the charts. On December 31, 2012, they performed "Moment" and "Sakasama no Sora" on ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'', as the ''ootori'', for the fifth time. They became the first artist in history to serve as the ''ootori'' three years in a row. As artists are ranked according to the ratings during their performance, SMAP ranked number one out of forty-four artists, and was the most watched act of that year's Kohaku, with a household share rating of 49.4%.
In February 2013, they released a double-A-side single, "Mistake! / Battery", which reached number one. Subsequent singles, "Joy", which was used as the theme song for Katori's drama television series, ''Kasukana Kanojyo'', and "Shareotsu / Hello", also reached number one. From March 2013, SMAP launched a collaborative project with
Universal Studios Japan
is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of NB ...
titled, "Universal Studios Japan x SMAP: World Entertainment Project" and their song, "Battery" was used as background music for the attractions at the theme park. On March 15, the day the attraction was launched, it created the longest queue and waiting time in USJ's history. On April 8, 2013, they aired a two-hour long special episode of ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'', titled "SMAP's First 5-Member Trip", celebrating their 25th anniversary. The program became the third most watched television program that year, with a 20% household share rating and became the twelfth most watched episode of ''SMAP×SMAP''. On September 9, a live episode of ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'' titled "SMAP Nonstop Special" was aired. The band performed all the past fifty singles in order of their releases in a medley, live for forty-minutes, without any commercials. On September 30, SMAP hosted a TV special, ''SMAP Go! Go!'', and aired a short sequel to ''
Furuhata vs SMAP'', a special episode of the famous detective-drama television series, ''
Furuhata Ninzaburo Furuhata (written: 古畑 or 降旗) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Koji Furuhata (born 1933), Japanese actor
*, Japanese idol and singer
*, Japanese model and actress
*, Japanese film director
{{surname
Japanese ...
'', aired in 1999. The drama was shot in one take during the broadcast of the TV special and aired live as they shot it. On December 31, they performed "Mistake" and "Joy" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
'' as the ''ootori'', for the sixth time, four years in a row.
On March 26, 2014, SMAP was invited to the
NPB Tigers-Giants Union vs MLB All Star, held in celebration of the eightieth anniversary of the
Japan Professional Baseball and sang the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
. In April 2014, they released a double-A-side single, "Yes we are / Kokokara", which reached number one. Their subsequent double-A-side single, "Top Of The World / Amazing Discovery", which served as the official song for
Universal Studios Japan
is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of NB ...
,
also reached number one. On April 18, SMAP became the first ambassador of
Universal Studios Japan
is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of NB ...
and attended the ceremony with Prime Minister
Abe
Abe or ABE may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Shinzo Abe (1954–2022), former Prime Minister of Japan
* Abe (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
* Abe (surname), a list of people a ...
and
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving in the Biden administration as the United States Ambassador to Australia since 2022. She previously served in the Obama administration as th ...
. It was announced that "Yes we are" will be used as the theme song for ''N Suta'' on
TBS, a
news program
News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televi ...
aired on weekdays, and that "Kokokara" will be used as the theme song for the
Nihonbashi's revitalizing project. On July 26 and 27, 2014, SMAP hosted the annual twenty-seven-hour long television program, ''FNS 27 Hour Television''. Though Nakai had hosted the show several times on his own, it became the band's first time to host as a group. A letter from former band member Katsuyuki Mori, who departed the group in 1996, was read during the show. On September 3, 2014, they released their twenty-first album, ''Mr.S'', which reached number one, and the band launched their fifteenth stadium tour, ''Mr.S Saikou de Saikou no Concert Tour'', from September to January 2015. The tour was released through DVD and Blu-ray on December 10, 2014, and reached number one in the charts. On December 31, they performed "Shake", "The One and Only Flower in the World", and "Top of the World" at ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
''.
On January 25, 2015, Inagaki and Kusanagi hosted a TV special, ''Ichii jya nakutte Iijanai'', together for the first time. In February, SMAP released a double A-side single, "Kareinaru Gyakushu / Humor Shichauyo", which reached number one, bringing the total number of records sold to 35 million. From April 29 to June 2, Kusanagi and Katori starred in a two-act play, ''Burst!'', written by playwright
Kōki Mitani
is a Japanese playwright, screenwriter, actor and film director and was previously married to Japanese actress Satomi Kobayashi. He was named after ''Taihō Kōki'', the youngest sumo wrestler to become yokozuna. He studied dramatics at Nihon U ...
, at the Parco Theatre. Their fifty-fifth single, "Otherside / Ai ga Tomarumadewa", was released on September 9, which was the same day the band's debut single was released in 1991. The single gave them their twenty-second consecutive number one singles. On December 31, they performed "Triangle" and "Otherside" on ''
Kohaku Uta Gassen
is the Japanese word for amber.
Kohaku (琥珀) may refer to:
Music
* Kohaku, a song by Mikuni Shimokawa
Characters
* Kohaku (''Dr. Stone''), a character in the manga series ''Dr. Stone''
* Kohaku (''InuYasha''), a character in ''InuYash ...
''. Throughout the year, SMAP became the representative for promoting and supporting ''
NHK Nodojiman'', in celebration of the program's seventieth anniversary. On November 10, it was announced that SMAP will be the representative and supporter for the
Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
games until the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
and Paralympics, in partnership with the
Nippon Foundation
of Tokyo, Japan, is a private, non-profit grant-making organization. It was established in 1962 by Ryoichi Sasakawa. The foundation's mission is to direct Japanese motorboat racing revenue into philanthropic activities, it uses this money ...
. Katori painted the forty-square feet mural in the building of the Nippon Foundation, which took about ten days to complete.
2016–present: Break-up and post-break-up
On January 13, 2016, media reported that Nakai, Inagaki, Kusanagi, and Katori were in talks to leave
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 re ...
agency, inevitably leading to a disbandment of SMAP. On January 18, such a breakup was denied later by the group through a live broadcast of their weekly variety program, ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'', issuing an apology for worrying the fans and creating chaos in the Japanese entertainment industry. On August 14, at 12:50 am,
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 re ...
announced through a press release that SMAP will disband on December 31, 2016.
From August to December, radio stations that carry programs hosted by the members of SMAP announced at their press conferences that the three programs, ''Some Girl SMAP'' hosted by Nakai, ''Stop the SMAP'' hosted by Inagaki, and ''SMAP Power Splash'' hosted by Kusanagi and Katori, will continue to air after the disbandment, though the name "SMAP" will be removed from the titles. In December, Kimura announced that his radio program, ''What's Up SMAP'', will continue as well, though he decided not to change the title, unlike the rest of the members. On December 30, the band's weekday radio program, ''Ohayo SMAP'', which debuted in 1994 ended its twenty-two-year-long broadcast.
On September 21, 2016,
Victor Entertainment
, also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...
announced that a compilation album and a video album will be released, commemorating the band's twenty-fifth anniversary.
Fans were given the opportunity to choose the track list for the compilation album, by voting their favorites through the internet out of the 400 songs SMAP had released during their quarter-century-long career. On November 3, the full track list was revealed on Victor Entertainment's website and announced on national news in Japan. On December 21, SMAP released their sixth compilation album, ''SMAP 25 YEARS''. The album sold 668,000 physical copies during the first week of release and debuted at number one, giving the band its fifteenth number one album and becoming the fastest selling album of 2016.
It was certified triple Platinum on December 27 in its first week and was certified Diamond on January 10 during its third week, denoting physical sales of one million copies. The album stayed at number one for two consecutive weeks.
On December 26, 2016, the final episode of their weekly variety program, ''
SMAPxSMAP'', was aired. The five-hour-long episode was aired in a
clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicte ...
format, primarily consisting of excerpts from past episodes that aired during the past twenty years since its debut on April 15, 1996. SMAP's last singing performance as a group, which was taped on December 1, 2016, was aired at the end of the program. They sang their mega-hit song, "The One and Only Flower in the World" (世界に一つだけの花). At the ending credits, a heartwarming video of SMAP taking photos with the program's staff was shown.
On December 28, 2016, SMAP released their second video album, ''Clip! Smap! Complete Singles'', through DVD and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
, featuring all sixty-three music videos the band made during their twenty-five-year-long career.
The DVD sold 192,000 copies and the Blu-ray sold 189,000 copies during its first week of release and debuted at number one simultaneously, giving the band their ninth number one DVD. Both stayed at number one for two consecutive weeks, becoming the first DVD and Blu-ray to reach number one for two weeks, since the official Blu-ray charts started in Japan in 2008. It was certified Platinum during its second week. After they disbanded, they sent the farewell messages to their fans.
Members
*
Masahiro Nakai
is a Japanese television host, actor, news presenter, radio personality. He was the leader of the now defunct boy band SMAP, which had been the best-selling boy band in Asia. While working as a member of a boy band, he worked extensively as a t ...
*
Takuya Kimura
is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia.
A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...
*
Goro Inagaki
is a Japanese musician and actor from Itabashi, Tokyo. Inagaki was a member of the Japanese pop group SMAP. A year after the group's dissolution, Inagaki, alongside his former bandmates Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori formed the group Atar ...
*
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, and a former member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia.
Early life
Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan.
Career Music
In 1987, at age 13, Kusanagi auditioned to enter Joh ...
*
Shingo Katori
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left ...
*
Katsuyuki Mori
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 ...
Other ventures
Philanthropy
SMAP was heavily involved in philanthropic activities. They have actively offered philanthropic support especially to the victims and regions affected by the
2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and the
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. On August 26 and 27, 1995, SMAP hosted
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 Televis ...
's annual
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'', and raised 1.1 billion yen. On August 27 and 28, 2005, Kusanagi and Katori hosted the ''24 Hour Television'', again, and raised one billion yen.
In 2011, after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, they bought a 30-second television commercial block in their weekly television program, ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'', to air a commercial on the information about the
Japanese Red Cross Society
The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross.
The Imperial Family of Japan traditionally has supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters ...
and a message from the band members encouraging people to donate. Rather than reusing the ones aired in the past, they have been reshooting the commercial every time they have a taping and have them aired every week at the end of the program. Since March 2011, they have actively worked as the members of Marching J, a charity organization established by their agency,
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 re ...
. Each band member have also made individual donations.
On May 4, 2011, their first and only digital single, "Not Alone" was released. Initially scheduled to serve as the band's 46th single, it was later canceled and released digitally in light of the earthquake and the situation in Japan, considering circumstances in power shortages and distribution. One hundred yen per single downloaded was donated to the victims. On July 23 and 24, 2011, Nakai hosted the annual twenty-seven-hour long television special, ''FNS 27 Hour Television'', for the fifth time. A special episode of "Bistro SMAP", a cooking segment on ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'', was aired during the show, titled "Bistro SMAP On The Go". Four members flew to regions that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami, Kimura and Inagaki to
Iwate Prefecture and Kusanagi and Katori to
Fukushima
may refer to:
Japan
* Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture
** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
***Fukushima University, national university in Japan
*** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...
. The four members cooked a total of one-thousand meals to the victims evacuated in these areas. Nakai started to host his own music show, ''Ongaku no Hi'', meaning "music day", to show their support to all those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The program is aired every summer since 2011. On August 17, 2011, the band released their fifth compilation album, ''SMAP Aid'', to support the people affect by the earthquake and tsunami. Two-hundred yen per album sold were donated to the victims. Being that it was the band's twentieth anniversary, many predicted a tour after the release of the album but the band canceled it due to power shortage in Japan that year.
After the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, the content of their 30-second long commercial changed, adding a new message by the band members toward the victims in
Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,000, ...
. On April 24, ten days after the earthquake, Nakai made an unannounced surprise visit to an elementary school in Kumamoto, used as a shelter for the evacuees. He, later went back to Kumamoto on 2 more occasions: May 7 and again on May 15 with Katori. On June 12, Kimura made a visit to Kumamoto as well.
Endorsements and partnerships
SMAP is one of the highest paid celebrities for endorsements and commercial appearances in Japan, with an estimated contract of one hundred million yen per commercial. Since 1991, they have had over fifty contracts with Japan's largest firms, both as a group and individually. Among the firms and products they have endorsed in the past, the most recognized are
NTT,
SoftBank
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the ...
,
Dole
Dole may refer to:
Places
* Dole, Ceredigion, Wales
* Dole, Idrija, Slovenia
* Dole, Jura, France
** Arrondissement of Dole
* Dole (Kladanj), a village at the entity line of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Republika Srpska
* Dole, Ljubušk ...
,
Meiji,
Ajinomoto
is a Japanese multinational food and biotechnology corporation which produces seasonings, interlayer insulating materials for semiconductor packages for use in personal computers, cooking oils, frozen foods, beverages, sweeteners, amino acids, ...
, and
Suntory Boss Coffee. From 1991 to 1992, they contributed "Seigi no Mikata wa Ate ni Naranai" and "Kokoro no Kagami" to
Panasonic
formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
's television commercial. From 1992 to 1993, their songs "Egao no Genki", "Hajimete no Natsu", and "Kimi wa Kimi dayo" were used as the theme song for anime series, ''
Hime-chan's Ribbon
is a magical girl manga series created by Megumi Mizusawa that was serialized in Ribon Magazine from August 1990 to January 1994. It was later developed into a 61 episode anime series, produced by Studio Gallop, that aired from October 2 ...
''. From 1994 to 1995, "Original Smile" and "Shiyouyo were used in Kimura's television commercial for
Oronamin
, produced by Otsuka Chemical Holdings Co., Ltd., (distributed and sold by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.) is a carbonated beverage available in Japan. It is commonly called Oronamin C or Oronamin. Its name is similar to the Takeda Pharmaceutical Co ...
C Drink. In 1996, "Munasawagi wo Tanomuyo" was used in Kimura's commercial for Kanebo Cosmetics. In 1999, "Fly" was used in the television commercials for NTT. From 2005 to 2006, "Triangle" served as the official song for all sports broadcasts on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
.
Since 2004, they have contributed their material to serve as the official song for the Olympics. Their song "Susume" was used for the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
, "Kono Toki, Kitto Yume Jyanai" for the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
, "Moment" for the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, and "Arigato" for the
2016 Summer Olympics, and were featured during the television coverage on
TBS. In 2006, "Triangle" served as the official song for the
2006 Winter Olympics. In 2006, the band contributed their song "Dear Woman" to
Shiseido's shampoo commercial and led it to become number one in the Top 10 Best Commercials of 2006.
In 2007, their debut single, "Can't Stop Loving" was used in
Otsuka Pharmaceutical
(), abbreviated OPC, is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Osaka and Naruto, Japan. The company was established August 10, 1964.
History
OPC's parent company Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd. joined the Tokyo Stock Exchange through an ini ...
's television commercial for
Pocari Sweat
, Pokari Suetto is a Japanese sports drink, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical. It was launched in 1980, and is mostly well known across Asia and the Middle East; it is also available in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Mexico.
Poca ...
, after sixteen years since its release. In 2008, "Dangan Fighter" served as the official song for all sports broadcasts on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
. From 2009, they signed a deal with
SoftBank
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the ...
. On August 1, the first commercial aired on 124
commercial broadcast television networks and five digital billboards located in Japan at the same time at 6:59 pm. On December 29, 2011, a 330-second long commercial aired, setting a record for the longest television commercial aired in Japan. In 2009, "Super Star" served as the official song for all sports broadcasts on TV Asahi. In 2012, they contributed "Sakasama no Sora" to
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 terrestr ...
's television series, ''
Umechan Sensei
is a Japanese television drama series. It debuted on April 2, 2012. It is about a girl named Umeko Shimomura who, despite being overshadowed by her talented older brother and sister, and despite being thought of as a clumsy child, decides to follo ...
''.
From 2012, SMAP signed a partnership deal with
7-Eleven. While appearing in 7-Eleven's television commercials, the product development department collaborated with Bistro SMAP, a cooking segment in the band's weekly television program, ''
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...
'', where the band members cook food for celebrity guests. After airing Bistro SMAP for over fifteen years, the project was launched in response to requests from viewers and fans who wanted to try the food cooked by SMAP. Each member created their own food, such as sandwiches, snacks, noodle soups, and
bento
A is the Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean cuisines and more, ...
s, to sell at the 7-Eleven stores in Japan. The bentos were collectively called "Bistro Bentos". The first set of menus were sold in 2012 and a new set was sold every year until 2015. In 2013, they signed a deal with
Suntory's
Boss Coffee, starring in television commercials with
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' The ...
. In 2013, they collaborated with
Sanrio
is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold ...
and contributed their song "Hello" in celebration of
Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
's 40th anniversary. In 2014, they became the ambassador for
Universal Studios Japan
is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of NB ...
and contributed their song "Battery" to play as the background music for the attractions at the theme park. "Amazing Discovery" served as the official song for Universal Studios Japan.
The same year, their song "Kokokara" was used as the theme song for
Nihonbashi's Revitalization Project. In December 2014, they contributed "Humor Shichauyo" to be the official song for
Shidax
() is a company providing food services and operating the largest karaoke shop chain in Japan. Its more than 300 karaoke shops across Japan, which operate under the name ''SHIDAX Please!'' is typical of the many big karaoke establishments and ...
's Heart&Smile Project launched to help children in Africa and fifty yen per single sold was donated. From 2015, "Ai ga Tomarumade wa" was used in Katori's television commercial for
JA Group.
In November 2015, SMAP became the representative and the supporter for the
Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
games until the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
and Paralympics, in partnership with the
Nippon Foundation
of Tokyo, Japan, is a private, non-profit grant-making organization. It was established in 1962 by Ryoichi Sasakawa. The foundation's mission is to direct Japanese motorboat racing revenue into philanthropic activities, it uses this money ...
.
In the wake of SMAP's disbandment in December 2016, Atarashii Chizu, a group consisting of former SMAP members Shingo Katori, Goro Inagaki, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi have taken over as representatives and ambassadors for the Paralympics. As of October 2017, Katori has participated in an art exhibition organised by the Nippon Foundation.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
* 1995: ''Cool''
* 1997: ''Wool''
* 2001: ''
Smap Vest''
* 2001: ''pamS''
* 2011: ''SMAP AID''
* 2016: ''
SMAP 25 Years''
Filmography
Television (as personality and performer)
Television (as actors)
Film
Theatre
Radio
Commercials
Concert tours
*''Spring SMAP 91'' (March–April 1991)
*''SMAP 92 Yattekimashita Oshogatsu'' (January 1992)
*''Spring SMAP 92'' (March–April 1992)
*''SMAP 92 Summer Concert'' (August 1992)
*''SMAP Live'' (November 1992)
*''New Year Concert'' (January 1993)
*''Spring SMAP 93'' (March–April 1993)
*''New Year Concert'' (January 1994)
*''Spring Concert'' (April–May 1994)
*''Sexy Six Show'' (July–August 1994)
*''Cool January'' (January 1995)
*''Cool Spring'' (March–April 1995)
*''Summer Minna Atumare Party'' (July–September 1995)
*''Winter Concert'' (December 1995 – January 1996)
*''Spring Concert'' (March–April 1996)
*''Chomugendaisho'' (July–August 1996)
*''SMAP Subarashii Sutekina Sugoizo'' (July–September 1997)
*''Concert Tour 1998 Viva Amigos'' (July–September 1998)
*''SMAP 1999 Tour Birdma''n (July–September 1999)
*''SMAP 00 S map Tour'' (October–November 2000)
*''SMAP 01 pamS Tour'' (July–September 2001)
*''SMAP 02 Drink Smap Tour'' (July–November 2002)
*''SMAP 03 MIJ Tour'' (July–September 2003)
*''SMAP Sample Tour'' (July–September 2005)
*''Pop Up SMAP Tour'' (July–October 2006)
*''super.modern.artistic.performance tour'' (September–December 2008)
*''We are SMAP Tour'' (July–September 2010)
*''Gift of SMAP Tour'' (August–December 2012)
*''Mr.S Saiko de Saikou no Concert Tour'' (September 2014 – January 2015)
Awards and nominations
Golden Arrow Award
The
Golden Arrow Award
A Golden Arrow Award was an accolade presented by the members of the Japan Magazine Publishers Association (JMPA) to recognize excellence in domestic media, such as in film, television, and music.
The 1st Golden Arrow Awards were held on March 1 ...
is presented by the Japan Magazine Publishers Association (JMPA) to recognize excellence in domestic media. SMAP has won two awards.
, -
, rowspan="2" , 1991 , , rowspan="2" , SMAP , , Best Newcomer , ,
, -
, Newcomer Award (Music) , ,
Japan Gold Disc Award
The
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 are 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 Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include pr ...
's annual music awards. SMAP has won fifteen awards.
, -
, 1992
, SMAP
, Best 5 New Artist Award
,
, -
, rowspan="2", 1995
, ''Cool''
, Album Award
,
, -
, ''Sexy Six Show''
, Music Video Award
,
, -
, 1996
, ''SMAP 007: Gold Singer''
, Album Award
,
, -
, 1997
, ''SMAP 008: Taxomax''
, Album Award
,
, -
, 1999
, "Yozora no Mukō"
, Song of the Year (Special Award)
,
, -
, 2001
, "Lion Heart"
, Song of the Year
,
, -
, 2002
, ''SMAP Vest''
, Pop Album of the Year
,
, -
, rowspan="3", 2004
, "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana"
, Song of the Year
,
, -
, ''Smap! Tour! 2002!''
, rowspan="3", Music Video of the Year
,
, -
, ''Live MIJ''
,
, -
, 2006
, ''SMAP to Icchatta! SMAP Sample Tour2005''
,
, -
, 2007
, ''Pop Up! SMAP Live''
, rowspan="2", Best Music Videos
,
, -
, 2009
, ''SMAP 2008 Super Modern Artistic Performance Tour''
,
, -
, 2017
, ''SMAP 25 Years
, Album of the Year
,
Japan Music Award
The
Japan Music Awards
for outstanding achievements in the Broadcast Music Producers Federation, was major music awards show held annually in Japan from 1969 to 1993. The 1988 awards ceremony was cancelled due to the deteriorating health of Emperor Shōwa.
List of Ja ...
are presented by the Broadcast Music Producers Federation for outstanding achievements in the record industry. SMAP has won one award.
, -
, 1991 , , "Can't Stop!! Loving" , , Rookie of the Year , ,
Japan Record Award
The
Japan Record Award
is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST a ...
s are presented by the
Japan Composer's Association The Japan Composer's Association, or JACOMPA (日本作曲家協会 in Japanese) is an organization of Japanese composers, established in 1959. Among its members are some of Japan's most renowned composers of contemporary classical music.
Preside ...
for outstanding achievements in the record industry. SMAP declined their nominations.
, -
, rowspan="2" ,
2003 , , rowspan="2" , "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" , , Japan Record Award , ,
, -
, Gold Award , ,
Publications
* ''SMAP Super Photo Book The First'' (October 1992)
* ''SMAP Photo Book Shonenki'' (June 1993)
* ''SMAP Year Book 1993–1994 reminiscence'' (May 1994)
* ''SMAP Year Book 1994–1995 revival & evolution'' (June 1996)
* ''Snap'' (December 2001)
* ''The SMAP Magazine Super fashion & Music Assemble Photo magazine'' (October 2010)
* ''SMAP×SMAP Complete Book Gekkan SmaSma Shinbun Vol.1 Pink'' (June 19, 2012)
* ''SMAP×SMAP Complete Book Gekkan SmaSma Shinbun Vol.2 Red'' (June 19, 2012)
* ''SMAP×SMAP Complete Book Gekkan SmaSma Shinbun Vol.3 Blue'' (July 24, 2012)
* ''SMAP×SMAP Complete Book Gekkan SmaSma Shinbun Vol.4 Yellow'' (August 28, 2012)
* ''SMAP×SMAP Complete Book Gekkan SmaSma Shinbun Vol.5 Green'' (September 18, 2012)
See also
*
List of best-selling music artists in Japan
The top music artists in Japan include Japanese artists with claims of 15 million or more record sales or with over 2 million subscribers. Japan is the largest physical music market in the world and the second largest overall behind the United ...
*''
Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
''
References
External links
Official Johnny's website*
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1988
Musical groups disestablished in 2016
Japanese boy bands
Japanese pop music groups
Johnny & Associates
Vocal quintets
Japanese idol groups
Victor Entertainment artists