Arashi

Lore & Background

Arashi was formed by Johnny & Associates from five trainees in the Johnny's Jr. division. Their debut single 'Arashi' was the theme song for the 1999 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup and sold nearly a million copies. They initially released music under Pony Canyon, moving to the subsidiary label J Storm in 2001. Their early 2000s saw a decline in sales, with 2004's 'Pikanchi Double' becoming their lowest-selling single. However, their 2005 single 'Wish' revived momentum, selling over 300,000 copies.

From 2006, Arashi expanded internationally, releasing albums in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. They held concerts in Taipei and became the first Johnny's group to perform individual concerts in South Korea. Their 2007 single 'Love So Sweet' was among the top five best-selling singles of 2007 in Japan.

Reader's Guide

Arashi's significance lies in their sustained commercial dominance and cultural influence in Japanese media over more than two decades. They were the best-selling boy band in Asia as of October 2020, with over 58.8 million copies sold. Their ability to top Oricon charts across singles, albums, and DVDs simultaneously in 2009 marked a rare achievement. They also hosted variety shows and remained influential figures. The group's transition from Johnny & Associates to Starto Entertainment in 2023 reflected broader industry changes. Their final activities ending in 2026 closed a major chapter in Japanese pop music history.

Did You Know?

• Arashi was announced on September 15, 1999, aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Their debut single 'Arashi' sold 557,430 copies in its first week and nearly a million copies overall.
• They became the first artist to place the top two rankings on the Oricon singles yearly chart in both 2008 and 2009.
• As of October 2020, Arashi had sold over 58.8 million copies, making them the best-selling boy band in Asia.

A Storm Born at Sea

Arashi's origin story is as dramatic as their name suggests. On September 15, 1999, Johnny & Associates president Johnny Kitagawa gathered five young trainees from the agency's Jr. division and announced their new group aboard a cruise ship sailing off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii. The name Arashi—Japanese for "Storm"—carried Kitagawa's stated ambition of "creating a storm throughout the world." The five members, Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto, officially debuted on November 3, 1999, with the eponymous single "Arashi," which served as the theme song for the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup held in Japan that year. The track became an immediate sensation, moving 557,430 copies in its first week and approaching the million mark by the end of its chart run. Their follow-up, "Sunrise Nippon/Horizon," launched at number one with over 304,000 sales, and the group kicked off their first concert tour at Osaka Hall just days later, signaling that this young band was ready to storm the Japanese music scene.

Unprecedented Chart Dominance

Between 2007 and 2010, Arashi rewrote the record books for Japanese pop music. Their eighteenth single, "Love So Sweet," the theme for Matsumoto's drama Hana Yori Dango 2, became the first of their releases to cross 400,000 copies in nearly seven years and landed in the top five best-selling singles of 2007. The following two years saw them become the first artist ever to occupy both the number-one and number-two spots on the Oricon singles yearly chart, a feat they repeated in 2009. That same year they simultaneously topped the Oricon singles, album, and music DVD yearly charts, making them only the third act in Oricon history to monopolize the top three best-selling singles of a year. By 2010, all six of their singles had cracked the top ten of the yearly singles chart, and their studio album Boku no Miteiru Fūkei was crowned the best-selling album in Japan. By October 2020, cumulative sales of albums, singles, and videos had surpassed 58.8 million copies, cementing Arashi's status as the best-selling boy band in Asia.

The Long Goodbye

On January 27, 2019, Arashi stunned fans by announcing that their group activities would come to a halt on December 31, 2020. The news marked the beginning of a three-year hiatus that reshaped the landscape of Japanese idol music. Yet the story did not end there. In 2023, the group transitioned from Johnny & Associates to Starto Entertainment under a new agent contract, signaling a fresh institutional chapter. Then, on May 6, 2025, Arashi made a definitive announcement: their activities would conclude permanently following a final tour scheduled for the spring of 2026. That tour is set to close on May 31 at Tokyo Dome, the iconic venue that has hosted countless landmark performances in Japanese music history. Throughout their career, Arashi had sustained an extraordinary output—chart-topping singles and albums, sold-out concert tours across the country, and a steady presence on variety television—remaining one of the most influential forces in Japanese media from their 1999 debut through their final bow.

From Pony Canyon to J Storm: Forging an Identity

Arashi's early years were defined by a pivotal label transition. They began under Pony Canyon, where they released six singles and one studio album, including the 2001 record Arashi No.1 Ichigou: Arashi wa Arashi o Yobu!, which held the title of their best-selling album for nearly a decade. By the end of 2001, the group moved to J Storm, a subsidiary label created specifically for their future releases. Their first J Storm single, "A Day in Our Life," debuted at number one as the theme for Sakurai's comedy drama Kisarazu Cat's Eye. The mid-2000s brought a shift in creative approach: in 2003, "Kotoba Yori Taisetsu na Mono" marked the first time a member personally contributed to writing a single, and Sakurai, the group's designated rapper, began penning all incorporated rap lyrics. The period also included a commercial low point—2004's "Pikanchi Double" became their lowest-selling single—before the group celebrated their fifth anniversary with a greatest-hits compilation. Their 2001 nationwide tour, spanning nine cities with twenty-six shows, had already proven their live appeal, laying groundwork for the dominance that would follow.

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