SMAP to Be a Spam

The news shocked a broad range of women who have been psychologically dependent on show business with good-looking boys. Newspapers specialized on sports or entertainment reported on Wednesday that popular music group, SMAP, would be dissolved with internal discordance of the office. Four members out of five would be independent from the office with their manager who had been taking care of the group for nearly three decades. Losing unity of super celebrity, SMAP is going to a spam.

SMAP is an idol group established in 1988. While they were a unit of ordinary singers for first few years, the group has obtained broad popularity with designated promotion by their office, Johnny & Associates, led by Johnny Kitagawa. With growing fame and fortune, SPAM achieved a status of superstar in Japanese show business. Media called SMAP “national idol group,” which were applied to a few other groups including Morning Musume or AKB 48.

In the most successful story of Johnny’s office, the promoters were involved in the argument over policy for their business. The manager of SMAP, Michi Iijima, had a long quarrel with other officers, mainly the relatives of Kitagawa. Frustrated with opposition over succession of Kitagawa, Iijima decided to leave the office. Embracing loyalty to their manager, four SMAP members decided to follow her.

Johnny’s office admitted the existence of the issue. “Although there are discussions and negotiations on this issue, we cannot comment on that so far,” said its news release. Nevertheless, the fans were fundamentally surprised. One college student answered to an interview of a newspaper that she was surprised with her mother losing temper. The fans sent their voices to social network services, which demanded maintenance of the group.

Show businesses were worried about negative impact of the scandal. Members of SMAP have been working not on singing songs, but acting in movies and TV drama or appearing in TV commercial. Losing a unit of popular characters may cause changes in commercial strategy. Businesses will be careful to volatility of TV stars.

The enthusiasm represents how Japanese people rely on show business, escaping hopeless ordinary life. They feel salvaged from the real world full of mean people, selfishness, discrimination, apathy or loneliness, when they watch delight smiles of TV stars who never harm. For bureaucracy, it is preferable that the people do not interested in their policies or governance. In that meaning, Johnny’s entertainment has been helpful for the government, like Hollywood has been.