SMAP Break-Up Sparks Nostalgia for Boy Band in China

Japanese five-man group of charismatic heartthrobs brought countries closer together.

By Fan Yiying

Rumors of Japanese boy band SMAP’s demise began to circulate in January this year, but it took six months for the news to become official. On Sunday it was announced that the SMAP’s five members are to officially part ways Dec. 31 after performing as a group together for 28 years, to focus on their solo careers.

SMAP, which stands for Sports Music Assemble People, first established in 1988. The group’s members, now in their late 30s and early 40s, are famous for their good looks and spin-off TV shows. They have a huge fan base in Japan, China, and other parts of Asia. 

Chinese fan Zhang Lili, 32, first became a fan of SMAP 15 years ago. She told Sixth Tone on Monday she found it incredible that the boy band she had loved as a young girl had lasted nearly 30 years. “I will always be grateful to them because they were my motivation to study Japanese at college,” she said.

Despite the enthusiasm of Chinese fans, it took a long time for their idols to appear on mainland soil. The group’s concert in Shanghai that was scheduled for October 2010 was canceled by the Chinese organizer after a sovereignty dispute between China and Japan occurred one month before the concert.

One year later in 2011, the group finally appeared in front of tens of thousands of fans in the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing. The concert was called “Cheer for Japan, Thank China, Asia One Family” and was held to thank the Chinese government for their assistance after the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in March of that year.

In a rare moment of spontaneous affection between the two countries, then-premier of China, Wen Jiabao, met with SMAP in Tokyo in May 2011. Wen said that he hoped the group’s songs would help promote friendship between Japan and China. “I hope that your concert in China will plant the seeds of friendship between China and Japan that will blossom into beautiful flowers,” Wen said.

Likewise, just before the concert, a senior politician was quoted as saying that the performance would bring the two countries closer together. The then-State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan held a meeting with SMAP at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and reportedly said the concert would add a “bright luster” to the Sino-Japan friendship. 

Gao Han, 24, became a fan of SMAP two years ago after watching TV shows where Kimura Takuya — one of the most popular group members — played the main character. She began listening to SMAP’s songs and watching their variety shows. “I think it’s an interesting group since each member has his own distinctive persona in both music and acting,” She told Sixth Tone. 

Gao added that the group gave off a positive vibe and left her with warm opinions about Japan and Japanese people. “I want to work harder and make myself better because I can see how hard they work to make themselves better,” she said.

In Sunday’s statement, the group’s management agency Johnny & Associates also said it had spent six months persuading and advising band members to stay together, but that the SMAP members believe “it is difficult for them to continue activities as a group.”

(Header image: Members of SMAP pose for a picture during a press conference before their concert in Beijing, Sept. 15, 2011. Song Lu/VCG)