Satoshi Ohno Suspends Activities Amid Conflict and Jun Matsumoto’s Independence Announcement

When will the Arashi five members reunite as a group? This is surely a concern for every fan.

Since their debut in 1996, it’s been 28 years. On May 16th, Jun Matsumoto announced his independence from the talent agency “STARTO ENTERTAINMENT.”

Following Kazunari Ninomiya’s announcement last October, he becomes the second member to go independent. While individually they have pursued independence, as a group, Arashi established Arashi Corporation on March 25th and entered into an agency contract with STARTO.

It’s likely that on May 29th and 30th, at the Kyocera Dome Osaka, he will resign after directing STARTO’s concert “WE ARE! Let’s get the party STARTO!!”

This year marks their 25th anniversary since their debut on November 3rd, so fans are hoping for some announcement of a comeback in this memorial year.

“The key point will be how far Satoshi Ohno, who has been on hiatus, can fully return. Ohno originally had a strong desire to retire from the entertainment industry, and it was speculated that he might not come back.

However, with the five of them launching Arashi Corporation, there is a glimmer of hope. But as Ohno will turn 44 this November, whether he will truly continue to make a comeback as an idol, or if it will be a one-time revival, that’s what’s on everyone’s mind.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

Another issue at hand is the tension between Matsumoto and Ninomiya.

“Just before the ‘Arashi’ group’s suspension of activities at the end of 2020, on November 12, 2019, Ninomiya announced his marriage. Since Matsumoto is also responsible for directing the concert, there was a possibility that Ninomiya’s marriage would affect the production of the last concert, so he opposed it, but Ninomiya went ahead with the marriage despite this opposition.

I still think Matsumoto holds some resentment about that. However, amidst the absence of signs of revival, there were persistent criticisms regarding the continued collection of membership fees from the fan club, which is said to generate an annual revenue of 12 billion yen. This time, establishing a company implies a serious intent, so I believe there’s a high possibility that all five members are seriously considering a comeback.” (Entertainment reporter)

Some sports newspapers speculated about a comeback concert on November 3, the anniversary of their CD debut, and there were reports that they had already reserved the Tokyo Dome. However, Matsumoto is scheduled to appear in the stage production Triangle Relationship, led by Hideki Noda, with the final performance on November 2 in London.

It’s unlikely that Matsumoto, who should be directing, would be performing overseas until the day before the revival concert. So, this scenario seems highly improbable.

However, when Matsumoto announced his independence, some also interpreted it as a message to fans, incorporating significant numbers, as a sign.

“The independence announcement on the 16th was simultaneously released to the media at 9:15 PM. Former Johnny’s Entertainment usually makes announcements in the late afternoon or evening, so one might wonder, Why at such an odd time? However, the number [9・15] is actually significant.

On September 15, 1999, Arashi held their debut press conference on a ship off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, garnering tremendous attention. It feels like Matsumoto is hinting at something similarly dramatic like the announcement of Arashi that day.” (Same entertainment reporter)

Fans are always waiting for a dramatic announcement. What will the group do next?