NEWS (group)

NEWS in The Television (2016)

NEWS (also seen as News and NewS) is a Johnny & Associates Japanese pop group composed of four members. NEWS stands for the four compass directions: North, East, West and South. The group was formed in 2003 as a nine member group under the label Johnny's Entertainment and released their debut single "NEWS Nippon".

Members

• Koyama Keiichiro (小山慶一郎, leader)
• Masuda Takahisa (増田貴久)
• Kato Shigeaki (加藤シゲアキ)
• Tegoshi Yuya (手越祐也)

Former Members

• Moriuchi Takahiro (森内貴寛, left December 18, 2003)
• Uchi Hiroki (内博貴, suspended July 2005)
• Kusano Hironori (草野博紀, suspended early 2006)
• Yamashita Tomohisa (山下智久, left October 7th, 2011)
• Nishikido Ryo (錦戸亮, left October 7th, 2011)

Labels

• Johnny's Entertainment (2003-)

Information

NEWS (2003)

NEWS (2004)

NEWS (2005)

NEWS (2007)

NEWS for the RUSS-K campaign (2008)

NEWS promoting "Koi no ABO" (2009)

NEWS for the RUSS-K campaign (2010)

NEWS (2011)

NEWS in Rolling Stone Magazine (2012)

NEWS in TV Fan CROSS (2013)

In September 2003 this group was formed as NewS and the original nine members were handpicked from the larger group of Johnny's Jr. and several smaller groups. Their first single, NEWS Nippon, which was released in 2003, was only available in limited edition at Seven Eleven stores. At the time, the unit was only formed to promote the women's volley ball tournament, which is why their single NEWS Nippon was not their official debut single, but because of the popularity of the unit, they released another single in May 2004. This single, Kibou ~Yell~, became their official debut single and reached the #1 spot on the weekly Oricon charts. It then went on to become the 13th best selling single of 2004. The member count at the time of their official debut was at 8, with Moriuchi Takahiro leaving the unit and Johnny & Associates entirely in December 2003. He is currently working with AMUSE as part of the band ONE OK ROCK.

The unit highlights the connection between Kanto and Kansai Johnny's with two members, Nishikido Ryo and Uchi Hiroki, being Kansai Juniors. Even though the boys debuted with NewS, they did have a second debut with their Kansai unit Kanjani8 later that year. Since both boys frequently moved between the two units, NewS was often featured with only the 6 kanto members. In 2005, the unit did a collaboration with KAT-TUN and Junior units in the SUMMARY of Johnny's World. That year also marked their first member loss since December 2003. Uchi Hiroki, 19 at the time, was caught drinking in public while underage and was suspended from the agency.

In early 2006 Kusano Hironori, who was 17 at the time, was also accused of drinking but when questioned about it, he denied the accusation but still decided to withdraw out of his own accord. For a short term NewS performed with only six members and they released the single Sayaendou / Hadashi no Cinderella Boy. However in May 2006, the group was temporarily suspended from further group activities, so that they could reflect on the misdeeds done by some of its members. The group was expected to return in 2007 with all 8 members.^[1] During the time of their suspension, the members each had their own activities; the duo Tegomass was created with Tegoshi and Masuda, while Yamashita performed alongside Golf and Mike in the unit GYM for the women volleyball tournament 2006.

On December 30th, 2006 it was announced that this group would be returning as a 6 member group, and would be appearing on Johnny's Countdown 2006-2007. Since their comeback, the group name changed to NEWS. In March 2007, NEWS released their first single after the hiatus, Hoshi wo Mezashite, as the theme song for the Japanese release of Happy Feet in which Tegoshi Yuya was the voice of the main character, Mumble. NEWS' studio album Pacific was released on the same day as their second single in 2007, weeeek. The song weeeek was used in the CMs for the clothing brand RUSS-K. It was written by the pop/hip-hop group GReeeeN and is the only single that made it to the top ten of the Oricon Yearly Single Charts. 2007 ended with the concert tour "NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007-2008". They had their first live concert in Tokyo Dome in January 2008.

After three successful singles, an album and a nationwide tour in 2008, it was announced in April 28th 2009 that NEWS would host the NTV charity program "24 Hour Television". The event was held at Tokyo Big Sight on August 29th-30th.^[2] Apart from that, NEWS’ activities slowed down considerably in 2009 and 2010. NEWS released just three singles in those two years. Appearances of all six members together became increasingly scarce. While Yamashita Tomohisa focused on his solo work and Nishikido Ryo on Kanjani8, Koyama Keiichiro, Kato Shigeaki, Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa could be seen in their own variety show “Soukon” which ran from November 2009 until March 2010.

In May 2011 Koyama Keiichiro, Kato Shigeaki, Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa were told that Yamashita Tomohisa and Nishikido Ryo would be leaving the group. Yamashita Tomohisa cited his wish to continue as solo artist while Nishikido Ryo refered to scheduling conflicts feeling he was at fault for the lack of group activities. Initially it was unclear whether the unit would disband for good or continue with four members. Yamashita Tomohisa and Nishikido Ryo announced their withdrawal publicly on October 7th 2011. The remaining four members stated that NEWS would continue with the four of them after Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa agreed to stay in NEWS.

On April 15th, 2012, a countdown appeared on the Johnny's Entertainment site revealing NEWS' outlines. After the intial countdown, another countdown started and the ending time coincide with Koyama Keiichiro's radio program "K-chan NEWS". With all of the members guesting, NEWS announced they will have a new single, best of album and a tour.

Their first single as a 4-member-group Chankapana sold over 300.000 copies, making it one of the most successful singles since their debut. During their tour in 2012, NEWS performed in open air stadiums for the first time. The second single release in 2012 WORLD QUEST established the connection between NEWS and soccer, being the theme song for the FIFA World Cup Japan 2012; other soccer related songs (ONE -for the win- and SEVEN COLORS in 2014, Anthem in 2015) followed.

In 2013, NEWS celebrated their 10 year anniversary with a Special Live Concert in Tokyo Dome. They also released their first original album as four, titled NEWS.

March 28th, 2016, NEWS were announced as the main personalities for NTV's annual 24HR TV charity event on August 27th 2016. They also hosted the variety show "Hen Lab" which ran from March to October 2016. Koyama Keiichiro and Kato Shigeaki can be currently seen in their own show “NEWS na Futari” (premiered July 3rd, 2015). In April 2016, NEWS took over hosting “The Shounen Club Premium” after KAT-TUN.

Discography

Studio Albums

• [2005.04.27] touch
• [2007.11.07] pacific
• [2008.11.19] color
• [2010.09.15] LIVE
• [2013.07.17] NEWS
• [2015.02.25] White
• [2016.03.09] QUARTETTO
• [2017.03.22] NEVERLAND
• [2018.03.21] EPCOTIA

Best Albums

• [2012.06.13] NEWS BEST

Singles

• [2003.11.07] NEWS Nippon (NEWSニッポン; NEWS Japan)
• [2004.05.12] Kibou ~Yell~ (希望 ~Yell~; Hope ~Yell~)
• [2004.08.11] Akaku Moyuru Taiyou (紅く燃ゆる太陽; Burning Red Sun)
• [2005.03.16] Cherish (チェリッシュ)
• [2005.07.13] TEPPEN (Summit)
• [2006.03.15] Sayaendou / Hadashi no Cinderella Boy (サヤエンドウ / 裸足のシンデレラボーイ; Peas / Barefoot Cinderella Boy)
• [2007.03.21] Hoshi wo Mezashite (星をめざして; Aim for the Stars)
• [2007.11.07] weeeek
• [2008.02.27] Taiyou no Namida (太陽のナミダ; Tears of the Sun)
• [2008.05.08] SUMMER TIME
• [2008.10.01] Happy Birthday
• [2009.04.29] Koi no ABO (恋のABO; Love's ABO)
• [2010.03.31] Sakura Girl (さくらガール; Cherry Blossoms Girl)
• [2010.11.03] Fighting Man
• [2012.07.18] Chankapana (チャンカパーナ; My Dear Woman)
• [2012.12.12] WORLD QUEST / Pokopon Pekorya (WORLD QUEST / ポコポンペコーリャ)
• [2014.06.11] ONE -for the win-
• [2015.01.07] KAGUYA
• [2015.06.24] Chumu Chumu (チュムチュム)
• [2016.01.20] Hikari no Shizuku / Touch (ヒカリノシズク)
• [2016.07.13] Koi wo Shiranai Kimi e (恋を知らない君へ)
• [2017.02.08] EMMA
• [2018.01.17] LPS
• [2018.06.27] BLUE
• [2018.09.12] Ikiro (生きろ)

Video Releases

Concerts / Live

• [2004.04.07] NEWS Nippon 0304 (NEWSニッポン 0304; NEWS Japan 0304)
• [2005.04.19] SUMMARY of Johnny's World with KAT-TUN
• [2007.08.08] Never Ending Wonderful Story
• [2008.08.13] NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007 2008 -THE FIRST TOKYO DOME CONCERT-
• [2009.11.04] NEWS Live Diamond
• [2010.12.22] NEWS DOME PARTY 2010 LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! DVD
• [2013.01.30] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2012 ~Utsukushii Koi ni Suru yo~ (NEWS LIVE TOUR 2012 ~美しい恋にするよ~)
• [2014.03.19] NEWS 10th Anniversary in Tokyo Dome
• [2016.04.20] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2015 WHITE ; Certification - Gold
• [2016.12.14] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2016 QUARTETTO
• [2018.01.24] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2017 NEVERLAND
• [2019.01.16] NEWS ARENA TOUR 2018 EPCOTIA

DVD Singles

• [2015.11.25] Yonjuushi (四銃士) ; Certification - Gold

Concerts

• [2004] A Happy "NEWS" year 2004
• [2004] SUMMARY of Johnnys World
• [2004] NEWSnowCONCERT ~NEWS no Konsatou~ (NEWSnowCONCERT ~ニュースのコンサート~)
• [2005] NIPPON EAST TO WEST SPRING CONCERT ~Nihon Oudan Taisetsu na Hito e~ (NIPPON EAST TO WEST SPRING CONCERT ~日本横断 大切なひとへ~)
• [2005] Johnnys Theater "SUMMARY 2005"
• [2006] A HAPPY "NEWS" YEAR 2006
• [2006] NEWS SPRING TOUR 2006
• [2007] NEWS Concert Tour 2007
• [2007] NEWS FIRST CONCERT 2007 in Taipei
• [2007] NEWS CONCERT TOUR "pacific" 2007-2008
• [2008] NEWS WINTER PARTY DIAMOND
• [2010] LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! NEWS DOME PARTY 2010
• [2012] NEWS LIVE TOUR ~Utsukushii Koi ni Suru yo~ (NEWS LIVE TOUR 2012 ~美しい恋にするよ~)
• [2013] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2013 NEWS MAKES YOU HAPPY! MAKES THE WORLD HAPPIER!
• [2015] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2015 WHITE
• [2016] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2016 QUARTETTO
• [2017] NEWS LIVE TOUR 2017 NEVERLAND
• [2018] NEWS ARENA TOUR 2018 EPCOTIA
• [2018] NEWS 15th Anniversary LIVE 2018 STRAWBERRY
• [2018] NEWS DOME TOUR 2018-2019 EPCOTIA -ENCORE-

Filmography

Regular Shows

• [2009-2010] Soukon
• [2016] Hen Lab
• [2016-] Shounen Club Premium

Commercials

• [2007-2010] Crymson RUSS-K
• [2008-] Lawson Genki ni Naro-son Campaign
• [2008-2010] KOSÉ Happy Bath Day
• [2010] Dwango
• [2016] TOUCH'n

Trivia

• The name “NEWS” was originally an acronym for “North”, “East”, “West” and “South”. Later the letters were used to form the title of NEWS’ first concert DVD Never Ending Wonderful Story. Since becoming a 4-member-unit, each member was assigned a letter:
  • N for Koyama Keiichiro
  • E for Tegoshi Yuya
  • W for Masuda Takahisa
  • S for Kato Shigeaki.
• During an interview on June, 27th 2016, Koyama Keiichiro used a different reading of the word “NEWS” hinting at the individual activities of the members:
  • N for Newscaster for Koyama Keiichiro
  • E for Entertainer for Tegoshi Yuya
  • W for Writer for Kato Shigeaki
  • S for Stylist for Masuda Takahisa
• Since 2009, NEWS have been using a constant color scheme for the individual members:
  • Red for Yamashita Tomohisa
  • Blue for Nishikido Ryo
  • Green for Kato Shigeaki
  • Yellow for Masuda Takahisa
  • Purple for Koyama Keiichiro
  • Pink for Tegoshi Yuya

After the withdrawal of Yamashita Tomohisa and Nishikido Ryo, the group did not change their assigned colors but started to use them even more frequently in their costumes and photo shootings. Nowadays, a lot of articles in magazines and subtitles on TV are color coded in their respective colors.

• With the release of Chankapana, NEWS have started to use certain shapes to indicate the members.
  • Square for Koyama Keiichiro
  • Heart for Tegoshi Yuya
  • Triangle for Masuda Takahisa
  • Circle for Kato Shigeaki

These shapes appeared most often during their 10th anniversary tour but keep recurring in various promotional material. They are also hinted at in the song Ai Kotoba which was written by NEWS.

• The number 4 became a constant theme after their last member loss. It was used in songs like 4+FAN and Ai Kotoba, their DVD Single Yonjuushi and the album QUARTETTO.

Publications

Magazines

• [2010.04.xx] POTATO 2010 May Issue (Feature)
• [2010.07.xx] J Mania 110 (Feature)
• [2010.09.xx] duet Ocotober 2010 (Cover & Feature)
• [2010.09.xx] BEST STAGE 2010 November (Feature)
• [2010.11.xx] J Mania 114 (Feature)
• [2011.02.xx] Duet 2011 March Issue (Feature)
• [2011.02.xx] Popolo April 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.04.xx] duet 2011 May Issue (Cover & Feature)
• [2011.04.xx] Popolo June 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.05.xx] Wink up 2011 June Issue (Feature)
• [2011.05.xx] Popolo July 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.05.xx] BEST STAGE July 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.06.xx] Popolo August 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.07.xx] Myojo September 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.07.xx] duet August 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.08.xx] duet September 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.08.xx] Wink up September 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.08.xx] POTATO September 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.08.xx] Myojo October 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.08.xx] Popolo October 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.09.xx] POTATO October 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.09.xx] Popolo November 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.10.xx] POTATO November 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.10.xx] duet November 2011 Issue (Feature)
• [2011.10.xx] Popolo December 2011 Issue (Feature)

External Links

• Johnny's Net
• Johnny's Entertainment