J-pop idol group V6 to disband because Go Morita is quitting Johnny's
J-pop idol group V6, who welcomed their 25th anniversary last year, will be disbanding on 1 November, which also marks their debut anniversary.
The decision stemmed from the fact that Go Morita, one of the group members, will be quitting the agency Johnny & Associates this autumn. The other members will resume solo activities under Johnny & Associates after the disbandment.
V6 made their debut in 1995 as a six-member group. Their first single Music For The People was used as the theme song for the Volleyball World Cup. Similar to the other idol groups (SMAP, Arashi, etc.) produced by Johnny & Associates, the members of V6 — Masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano, Yoshihiko Inohara, Go Morita, Ken Miyake, and Junichi Okada — are also active in acting and hosting variety shows, apart from singing and dancing.
Anime fans may know V6 from their iconic song Change The World, which was used as the first opening song for Inuyasha.
In an official statement from Johnny & Associates, the agency said that Morita wanted to challenge himself as an actor in an environment away from Johnny’s. Apparently, the others took his feelings into consideration, and they made the decision to disband after many discussions.
In addition, Johnny & Associates clarified that although Morita’s wish to leave the company was the trigger, the fact was that the other five were also getting older — they are in their forties. That was why everyone was able to accept and respect Morita's feelings.
Resuming activities as a five-member V6 was also out of the question as they had decided that “if it is not these six people, it is not V6.”
According to an acquaintance of Morita, he had strongly desired to devote himself to the acting business for some time. He said that he wanted to take on challenges that could not be done at Johnny & Associates.
The disbandment of V6 marks yet another piece of unfortunate news for Johnny & Associates, following SMAP's break-up in 2016, Arashi’s hiatus that began this year, and a handful quitting the agency recently.
