|
Saturation media coverage and despairing fans greeted news
last week that the five-man group, which formed in 1988 when its
members were in their teens and in its heyday packed venues
around Asia and sang for Chinese leaders, was on the brink of
dissolution.
But late on Monday, SMAP - whose name stands for "Sports Music
Assemble People" - said they would stay together, prompting so
much joyful internet chatter that Japan's Twitter network
briefly crashed.
"It was good that the group responded to the wishes of many fans
and decided to continue (as it is)," Abe told a parliamentary
committee.
"Like in the world of politics, I assume there are various
challenges for a group to keep on going for such a long period
of time," added the 61-year-old leader, whose ruling Liberal
Democratic Party has been in power for nearly all of the past
six decades.
Other cabinet ministers, including Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshihide Suga, lauded SMAP's survival and said they hoped they
would continue to "give dreams and hopes to the public."
(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
