Some say, “It’s just like a big announcement…” A clear reason why “SMAP-ism” lives on even after the inexcusable breakup drama.

Even if Johnny’s were to cease to exist…

The only thing I could not accept was the meaningless apology called “public execution” in January 2016.

Think of the SMAP fans. No other idol’s fans have ever suffered so unreasonably.

I wonder if there will be suicides when the day comes for SMAP to break up. Would there be a terrorist attack? I was worried. But …….

The actions taken by the fans were totally unexpected.

One day, when I opened the newspaper, I saw the message that occupied the entire page.

＜To SMAP, who have always given us so much love and courage.

The message, titled “To SMAP, who always gave me so much love and courage,” was a crowdfunding campaign launched by a group of fans, and it was a big hit. The names of 13,000 SMAP fans were featured on eight pages of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper!

And so “Sekai no ichibanai hana (Only One Flower in the World)” soared up the hit charts, topping the charts for the first time in over a decade. This was another statement of the power of the fans.
It was not a hard-line protest or violent terror. It hurt no one, and this is the message being sent by SMAP fans.

How was this possible? It was because in that era of Heisei, …… we all shared and lived the same time on Monday nights from 10:00 pm. We laughed. We cried. That is how we learned. Yes, something really important. Week after week, indeed, for 20 years. ……

SMAP has disbanded and that illustrious group no longer exists in this world.

But there is something truly wonderful that SMAP created. It is …… SMAP’s fans!

I wrote that SMAP is one spirit, and that <the SMAP of spirit> exists – and I wrote that. In that sense, SMAP is still alive today.

Yes, the fans are SMAP! The spirit of SMAP is definitely alive there. I believe that this is the best thing that Japanese idol culture has ever achieved.

Johnny’s may be dead, but SMAP will live forever!