Arashi

About the Group

Johnny & Associates announced the group’s debut on September 15, 1999, through a press conference aboard a cruise ship off Honolulu, Hawaii. The five Johnny’s Jrs – Ohno Satoshi, Sakurai Sho, Aiba Masaki, Ninomiya Kazunari, and Matsumoto Jun made their CD debut on November 3, 1999, with the single “Arashi,” which was also the theme song for the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup. The song was a major hit, selling almost a million copies by the end of its chart run.

The group’s success in 2007 (“Love So Sweet,” the theme song of Hana Yori Dango 2 peaked at the number one spot, and “Happiness” also topped the charts) renewed public interest. They became the third musical group to perform at the National Olympic Stadium as part of their 2008 tour.

For their tenth anniversary tour in 2009, they had three consecutive days at the National Olympic Stadium, becoming the first artist to do so. They also performed at the 60th Kohaku, marking the first time in 21 years another group from Johnny’s other than SMAP and Tokio performed at Kohaku.

For 2013-15, they were the number 1 artist with the most sales revenue in Japan.

In 2016, the group was awarded the 2016 Artist of the Year award by RIAJ, becoming the first artist to receive it five times during their career.

In 2018 Arashi began its 20th-anniversary tour, performing 18 shows at the five major domes in Japan. They would then announce an additional 32 dates, ending with 50 performances.

On January 7th, 2019, the group announced on their official fan club website they would cease all group activities after December 31, 2020.