Abe asked to comment on SMAP in Diet

It's a shame that they didn't ask Abe whether he thought SMAP actually were any good.

At least they're getting the important things done in parliament.

To hell with the budget, what is happening with the boy band WAY past its prime? Pretty indicative of a lot of Japans priorities.

It's sad we care more about the state of our celebrities than we do the state of our country.

The economy is in the toilet, but, hey, at least SMAP will be there to "sing" us out of it!

What a total waste of time and taxpayers money.

Is this real life?

I wonder if male idols are banned from having relationships, like there female counterparts, anyone............

“Similar to the world of politics, there must be many challenges for one group to last so long,” Abe responded. “It is good that they will stay together, as it meets the wishes of their fans.”

Great. I can just see Abe declaring he will continue to be PM indefinitely because he "needs to meet the wishes of the people, like SMAP!" and use cardboard cutouts of the singers, and maybe fire fighters again, to talk about how he wants to revise the constitution, etc.

As for SMAP itself, seems to me like at least a couple of the members really wanted out, but have no choice. They are literally trapped, and I think the ideas some people have that they can demand they stay together, is pretty twisted.

Can you really call middle-aged performers a "boy band"? Oji-san bando, maybe?

Fans of Japanese boyband SMAP breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday at the news the middle-aged heartthrobs were staying together,

How can a 'boy band' be middle aged..?

From the comments so far it is fairly obvious that the foreigners commenting just dont' understand Japanese culture and what this group means besides "boyband" something that only Japanese understand and know. Calling it waste and taxpayers money is not always about money and if the foreigners don't like it, they can always leave the airport does leave Japan. SMAP is a great group and should be stay together as it represents Japan. What does one expect from the management group when it is partly owned by a foreigner who only think about the money and logic.

Well, i hope for them they stay togetherr for something more than their fan base or money..... art or anything that hope to grow toward it should be done for passion only, and nothing more.....

Nadège from France the heart of an artistic performance.... :D

"The economy is in the toilet, but, hey, at least SMAP will be there to "sing" us out of it!" Hey, they did it last time!