The key players in the “SMAP reunion” are “Downtown” Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masanori Hamada, rather than Sanma Akashiya.

SMAP fans are getting very excited.

The reason is that it was announced that Shingo Katori, another former member of SMAP, will be the first guest on the new regular program “Matsumoto to Nakai” (Fuji TV), to be hosted by former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai and Downtown star Hitoshi Matsumoto.

Nakai and Katori will be appearing together on the show for the first time in six years. According to the program’s official Twitter page, it has been 2,199 days.

In other words, the group broke up at the end of ’16. This is the first time they have worked together since September 2005, when Katori, Kusanagi, and Inagaki became independent from Johnny’s.” (A reporter for a women’s magazine)

Incidentally, Nakai also became independent in 2008. Only Takuya Kimura is still a member of Johnny’s.

In the meantime, Matsumoto’s interactions with former SMAP members are becoming more and more active.

Inagaki appeared on “Hitoshi Matsumoto no sake no tsumami ni naru hanashi” (Fuji TV) on the 21st. When asked about co-starring with former members, Inagaki replied,

Inagaki replied, “I would like to meet them. I might bump into them in an elevator.

Inagaki’s answer hinted at the possibility of a reunion. Matsumoto then asked who he was talking about,

Inagaki was embarrassed and said, “I haven’t worked with Kimura-san and Nakai-san recently.

Inagaki looked embarrassed and said, “Well, I don’t want Inagaki-san to get involved with me.

I think Matsumoto is the only one in the entertainment world who can ask Inagaki that deeply. The breakup of SMAP is such a taboo subject that it is not something you can just casually mention. The fact that he was able to ask about it must have been because he is a close friend of Nakai-san and knows the situation deeply.

(A wide-show insider) Such an exchange was greeted with the following comments on the Internet

I’m glad to hear Goro say “Kimura-san and Nakai-san.

I’d love to see him on a TV show with Mr. Nakai and Mr. Kimura again someday.

The response was great.

The desire for a reunion of the legendary group that suddenly disbanded continues unabated. One of the people their fans were hoping to see as a “go-between” was Akashiya Sanma.