KAT-TUN (boy band)

a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny's Entertainment in 2001 who releases records under their own label, J-One Records. The group's name is an acronym formed by the members' surname initials. Currently one of the most popular boy bands in Japan.

KAMENASHI KAZUYA

• Name: 亀梨和也 (かめなし かずや)
  
• Name (romaji): Kamenashi Kazuya
  
• Nicknames: Kame, Kame-chan, Ka-kun
  
• Profession: Actor, singer and host
  
• Birthdate: 1986-Feb-23
  
• Birthplace: Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan
  
• Height: 171cm
  
• Weight: 54kg
  
• Star sign: Pisces
  
• Blood type: B
  
• Family: Two older brothers, one younger brother, and one niece
  

AKANISHI JIN

• Name: 赤西仁
  
• Name (romaji): Akanishi Jin
  
• Nicknames: Bakanishi
  
• Profession: Singer and actor
  
• Birthdate: 1984-Jul-04
  
• Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
  
• Height: 176cm
  
• Weight: 64kg
  
• Star sign: Cancer
  
• Blood type: O
  
• Family: Younger brother (Akanishi Reio)
  

TAGUCHI JUNNOSUKE

• Name: 田口淳之介
  
• Name (romaji): Taguchi Junnosuke
  
• Nicknames: Junno, Jun, Taguchi-kun, Junnosukebe (sukebe=dirty)
  
• Profession: Actor, singer and dancer
  
• Birthdate: 1985-Nov-29
  
• Birthplace: Kanagawa, Japan
  
• Height: 182cm
  
• Weight: 64kg
  
• Star sign: Sagittarius
  
• Blood type: AB
  
• Family: Three older sisters, and one brother
  

TANAKA KOKI

• Name: 田中聖 (たなか こうき)
  
• Name (romaji): Tanaka Koki
  
• Profession: Actor and singer
  
• Birthdate: 1985-Nov-05
  
• Birthplace: Chiba, Japan
  
• Height: 170cm
  
• Weight: 55kg
  
• Star sign: Scorpio
  
• Blood type: B
  

UEDA TATSUYA

• Name: 上田竜也 (うえだ たつや)
  
• Name (romaji): Ueda Tatsuya
  
• Nicknames: Tacchan
  
• Profession: Actor, singer and host
  
• Birthdate: 1983-Oct-04
  
• Birthplace: Kanagawa, Yokohama, Japan
  
• Height: 170.5cm
  
• Weight: 52kg
  
• Star sign: Libra
  
• Blood type: B
  

NAKAMARU YUICHI

• Name: 中丸雄一
  
• Name (romaji): Nakamaru Yuichi
  
• Nicknames: Yuu-chan, Maru
  
• Profession: Actor and singer
  
• Birthdate: 1983-Sep-04
  
• Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
  
• Height: 176cm
  
• Weight: 55kg
  
• Star Sign: Virgo
  
• Blood Type: O
  
• Family: Two younger sisters
  

Kazuya Kamenashi is the youngest member of KAT-TUN.
Unofficially, he is imaged as the frontman or leader of KAT-TUN. Often
described as the most dependable, he serves as co-lead vocalist with
Akanishi. He is noted for his talent in baseball,
having once represented Japan in a world tournament as a child though
he had to give up dreams of playing professionally after joining JE.
Kamenashi debuted before the rest of the group as part of Shūji to Akira whose only song, "Seishun Amigo", became 2005's number one single in Japan with over 1.6 million copies sold to date.^[1] An established actor with award-winning performances in television dramas Nobuta wo Produce and Gokusen 2, he has also appeared in Yūki, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, Suppli, 1 Pound no Fukuin and Kami no Shizuku.

Jin Akanishi is the second lead vocalist and arguably one of
the most popular members in KAT-TUN. He went on hiatus from October
2006 to April 2007 to study English in Los Angeles
just as KAT-TUN were six months into their debut. Most of the group's
second studio album did not feature him due to his absence. Known for
his imprompto performances, Jin once dragged fellow member, Nakamaru,
to Kyoto just to have chicken wings. Akanishi plays the guitar and is a
budding songwriter having written several songs for the group and
himself such as Love or Like, Ha-ha, Pinky, LOVEJUICE etc. Also an actor, he has had roles in Gokusen 2, Anego, Yukan Club and made his debut as a seiyū in 2008 providing the voice for Speed Racer in Japanese-dubbed version . He will make his film debut in Bandage which is scheduled for release in 2010.

Junnosuke Taguchi is the tallest member of the group.
Recognised by his bandmates for being good at acrobatics, he needed an
operation in February 2004 after sustaining a bad knee injury during
rehearsals and did not return until August 2004. Taguchi is known as
the most light-hearted member with a carefree-like nature. Often picked
on by the other members for his frequent use of dajare
(Japanese word puns), he also has a tendency to randomly jump between
topics during talks and interviews leading the others to label him "KY"
(a person who is unable to read an atmosphere properly). Taguchi is an
award-winning actor^[2][3] with roles in Mohou-han, Ganbatte Ikimasshoi, Happy!, Happy! 2, Hanayome to Papa and Yukan Club.

Kōki Tanaka performs most of the rap
lyrics, which he writes himself. Though he wanted to leave KAT-TUN when
it was first formed, he changed his mind after the group held their
first concert. Influenced by hip-hop and reggae at an early age, he found the task of rapping in an idol group made easier due to Shō Sakurai's breakthrough for Arashi.^[4]
Artistically inclined, Tanaka can illustrate well and designs his own
apparel. With bandmate Nakamaru, they made up a comedic unit, TaNaka (a portmanteau of their surnames)unit resurrected in their latest concerts. An actor who won multiple awards for his performance in My Boss, My Hero^[5], he has also appeared in Byakkotai, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi and took on his first lead role in 2007 in Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go.


Tatsuya Ueda is the quietest member and rarely speaks unless
spoken to. Ironically, he chose to become KAT-TUN's leader at first but
later quit because he could not handle being scolded during dance
rehearsals, also denoting his sensitive nature. Ueda plays the piano
and guitar and is an able composer and lyricist, having written songs
for the group and himself. He is the first KAT-TUN member to hold a
series of solo concerts entitled "Mouse Peace" in September 2008
performing songs across various genres, such as rock, dance, ballad,
and folk, all of which he penned himself.^[6] Ueda is an avid boxer and has enough skill in the sport for him to be advised by professionals to get a professional boxing license.^[7] He made his acting debut as a stage actor in the play Romeo and Juliet
in March 2009. Within the same month, it was announced that he will be
acting on television for the first time in a drama starring senpai Masahiro Nakai and Aya Ueto called Konkatsu! which shall be airing on Fuji TV, Mondays at 21:00pm from April 20 to June 2009.^[8]

Yuichi Nakamaru is the oldest member of the group. The first JE idol to prominently showcase beatboxing and vocal percussion
ability, Nakamaru learned by diligently studying hundreds of examples
from hip-hop albums after KAT-TUN was formed. His primary motivation
was to set himself apart from the rest of the members since he did not
want to be seen as dull.^[9]
He often shares MC duties with Kamenashi but in private, is rather shy
and reserved and whose meek nature particularly shows when amongst
strangers. He is currently studying at Waseda University reading Environmental Studies.^[10]
He writes his solo songs. He is also the first member to do a solo
stage show -- performing songs, dance, beat boxing and skits for two
weeks in August 2008.In January 2009 his first drama lead role will be
aired titled RESCUE casting along NEWS Takahisa Masuda.^[11]

2001 – 2006: Formation & Pre-Debut Activities

Before becoming KAT-TUN, each member belonged to different junior
units within the company. In 2001, eight members were chosen to become
a temporary dancing unit in order to support KinKi Kids member Koichi Domoto in the NHK
music program, Pop Jam. Of these members, it did not include Tanaka;
however, members were switched before it officially became KAT-TUN,
with the current six members. Although the formation was only meant to
be a temporary support unit, KAT-TUN gained a great deal of attention,
so the formation was kept and KAT-TUN remains a solid unit.
In 2002, in response to many requests, KAT-TUN held their first concert, Okyakusama wa Kamisama - Concert 55man nin Ai no request ni Kotaete,
which was later released on DVD. That same year, they performed 11
shows in a day. This is the current record in Japan for the most
performances in a day. Since then, KAT-TUN has held concerts in Japan
almost every season.
In 2003-2004, their popularity rose to that of a debuted group, to the point where they performed on Music Station multiple times before debuting. In 2005, KAT-TUN released their first major DVD, LIVE KAIZOKUBAN, which topped the Oricon yearly chart for the best-selling DVD. At the 20th Japan Gold Disc Awards, LIVE KAIZOKUBAN placed on the Music Video Of The Year list.^[12]

2006: Debut

Their debut was announced on January 29, 2006 for March 22, 2006.
This was a five-year long-awaited event for both the members and their
fans. On the official date, KAT-TUN released their debut single Real Face, accompanied by an album, Best of KAT-TUN and a DVD Real Face Film. These were released on their own label, J-One Records. The group also went on a nationwide tour, Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face", in support of the album.
Within the first week, Best of KAT-TUN sold 556,548 copies, Real Face sold 754,234 copies and Real Face Film sold 374,202 copies.^[a] These releases topped all three weekly Oricon charts. They are the second artist to do so, the first being Ayumi Hamasaki.
With these numbers, KAT-TUN holds the records for the highest weekly
single debut sales as well as the record for highest weekly DVD debut
sales. In addition, Real Face topped the Oricon charts for
three weeks straight, making them the first artist in the millennium to
do so in Japan. The single sold over a million copies in nine weeks,
making Real Face the highest selling single of the year.
In March 2006, KAT-TUN became the first group to hold their own performances in Japan's most popular stadium, Tokyo Dome,
before debuting. They performed to 110,000 people over two days and
about 630,000 people in total during the tour. About three months after
releasing Real Face, KAT-TUN released their second single, SIGNAL, on July 19, 2006. As expected from the media, it topped the Oricon weekly chart by exceeding 400,000 in sales.
On October 12, 2006, Akanishi announced a hiatus from the group in
order to study linguistics abroad in the United States, leaving KAT-TUN
as a five-member group for six months. The remaining members continued
activities by releasing their third single, Bokura no Machi de (as the theme song to Kamenashi and Tanaka's drama, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi), and their second album, cartoon KAT-TUN II YOU, on December 7, 2006. Despite the fact that one of their lead vocalist was missing, the releases still topped the charts.
KAT-TUN is the first artist in Japan to have all three singles from
debut to exceed 500,000 in yearly sales, taking first, fifth and 13th
place on the yearly singles chart.

2007: Cartoon KAT-TUN II You

Under the same name as their second album, KAT-TUN started their second nationwide tour, TOUR 2007 cartoon KAT-TUN II You, still without Akanishi, on April 3, 2007. The next day, KAT-TUN began to host their own variety show cartoon KAT-TUN, which airs every Wednesday from 11:55 P.M. to 12:26 A.M..
Akanishi returned to Japan on April 19, 2007 and officially resumed work activities on April 20, 2007.^[13]
His return excited a massive nationwide media frenzy. Akanishi joined
the rest of KAT-TUN during their tour on April 21, 2007 in Sendai for the encore. The appearance marked his official return to KAT-TUN.
On June 6, 2007, KAT-TUN released their fourth single, Yorokobi no Uta, as the theme song to Tanaka's drama, Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go. The single hit number one on the weekly chart. Although Yorokobi no Uta is KAT-TUN's official fourth single, it is speculated that YOU, the theme song to Kamenashi's drama, Sapuri, was supposed to be the fourth, but Akanishi's sudden hiatus delayed any production of YOU being a single.
On November 21, 2007, they simultaneously released their fifth single, Keep the faith, as the theme song to Akanishi and Taguchi's drama, Yukan Club, and the DVD to their TOKYO DOME Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face"
concert. The DVD established their fifth consecutive release to top the
Oricon musical DVD chart. It also set the opening week record for the
year.^[14]
In addition, KAT-TUN took the yearly number one position on the Oricon
musical DVD charts for the third time in a row with the release. To add
on to the number ones, Keep the faith also topped the weekly single charts.
After KinKi Kids, KAT-TUN is the second artist to have all singles
since debut to exceed 300,000 in sales during their first week.^[15]
At the 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards,^[16] Real Face took Single of the Year. In addition to this, Real Face, SIGNAL and Bokura no Machi de were included in the list of The Best 10 Singles for 2007.^[16] Furthermore, their debut album, Best of KAT-TUN, placed in the The Best 10 Albums of 2007^[16] and their DVD, Real Face Film, was also included on the The Best Music Videos of 2007 list.

2008: -Queen of Pirates-

KAT-TUN released their sixth single, LIPS, on February 6, 2008, as the theme song to Kamenashi's drama, One Pound Gospel.^[17] The single topped at number one on the Oricon charts.
At the 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards, Bokura no Machi de and Keep the Faith won two of the Best 10 Singles^[18] Their concert DVD, Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face", had also won one of the three Best Music Videos awards.^[19]
On March 30, 2008, it was announced that KAT-TUN will hold their third nationwide tour, to start in Hiroshima on June 21, 2008.
On April 22, 2008 it was announced that KAT-TUN will release their third album, KAT-TUN III Queen of Pirates on June 4, 2008.
KAT-TUN released their seventh single, Don't U Ever Stop, on
May 14, 2008 which topped the weekly Oricon chart. The release included
three limited edition versions featuring the members' solos in pairs.
The first with Kamenashi and Taguchi, the second with Akanishi and
Tanaka, and the third with Ueda and Nakamaru. It sold more than the top
49 artists after them combined. Along with LIPS, KAT-TUN holds the records for the two highest first-week sales in 2008.
On May 15, 2008, during the MC segment of promoting Don't U Ever Stop
on Music Station, Kamenashi announced that two days were added to their
Tokyo Dome performances for their tour, resulting in a total of four
consecutive days in the Dome. This marks a historic event in the Dome's
history, which has been established since 1988, as KAT-TUN is the first
Japanese artist to hold four consecutive days at the stadium. Other
Japanese artists, such as SMAP, X Japan and Ayumi Hamasaki
have had three consecutive days at the Dome, and Rolling Stones and
Michael Jackson have had multiple days at the Dome as well, but they
were not consecutive.
On December 3, 2008, KAT-TUN released White X'mas,
their first Christmas single. The release consisted of a limited and
regular edition, but both would only be sold during the holiday season.
The single, with no drama tie-in and no B-side, still sold moderately
well with more than 250,000 copies sold in its first week.
On December 21, 2008, it was announced that KAT-TUN would release a new single One Drop as a tie-in theme song to Kamenashi's new drama, Kami no Shizuku, just two months after their White X'mas single. The release consists of three versions: Limited Edition w/DVD, Regular Edition (First Press) and a Regular Edition.
On December 28, 2008, avex
Taiwan announced on their website of an overseas (OS) press release of
KAT-TUN LIVE TOUR 2008 QUEEN OF PIRATES on January 20, 2009, including
traditional Chinese subtitles.
Before partaking in Johnny's annual countdown concert on December
31, 2008, KAT-TUN performed an unbroadcasted special medley for 10
minutes, consisting of Keep the faith, ONE DROP and Yorokobi no Uta.
This was their first time performing ONE DROP publicly, debuting the
song.

2009: Break the Records: By You & For You

On January 1, 2009, it was announced that Kamenashi will continue
starring in DREAMBOYS in September for 38 shows. The stage show is
expected to continue for six more years. In addition, KAT-TUN released
KAT-TUN LIVE TOUR 2008 QUEEN OF PIRATES DVD, featuring their last day
of four in Tokyo Dome.
On February 11, 2009 KAT-TUN released One Drop for Kazuya Kamenashi's drama, Kami no Shizuku. It became KAT-TUN's 9th consecutive number one single since debut, selling 281,359 copies in its first week.^[20]
A month later, on March 11, 2009, KAT-TUN released Rescue for band member Nakamaru Yuichi's drama, Rescue: Tokubetsu Kodo Kyujotai.
It became KAT-TUN's 10th consecutive number one single since debut,
selling 322,597 copies in its first week. With this achievement KAT-TUN
are now tied with their senpai NEWS for the 2nd most consecutive #1
singles from debut (Kinki Kids is #1 with 28).^[21] A week after the release of Rescue, it was revealed through their official website that KAT-TUN would be releasing their fourth studio album.
On April 1, 2009 the title of the album, Break the Records: By You
& For You, as well as the track list for KAT-TUN's fourth studio
album were released; the release of the album itself is slated for
April 29, 2009.^[22]
As far as news on KAT-TUN's concerts for 2009, it was announced on January 23 that KAT-TUN would hold 7 consecutive days at Tokyo Dome,
Japan's largest and most prestigious arena. Also, making KAT-TUN the
first artists in history to do so. However, by the end of March, due to
the large number of pre-reserved tickets, KAT-TUN's record breaking
concert added extra tour dates. Making KAT-TUN's 2009 concert 8
consecutive days in Tokyo Dome from May 15 to the 22, 3 days in Osaka
from May 29 to the 31, and 2 more days in Tokyo Dome from June 14 to
the 15. For a total of 13 concert performances in two cities, and 10
days in total for Tokyo Dome.^[23][24]
Sales for KAT-TUN's 8 consecutive days in Tokyo Dome concert went on
sale on April 4, 2009. On the very same day all 440,000 seats were sold
out.^[25]