TV Asahi to continue 2 SMAP shows even after group splits up
(Mainichi Japan)
(Sponichi) -- TV Asahi will continue to air two programs in which members of the all-male pop unit SMAP appear even after the group is disbanded, the network's chairman and CEO, Hiroshi Hayakawa, has announced.
The Tokyo-based private television station airs "News Variety: SmaStation!!" in which 39-year-old Shingo Katori appears and "Variety Pussuma" for which 42-year-old Tsuyoshi Kusanagi serves as a host. Pussuma is aired from 12:50 a.m. on Saturdays, while SmaStation starts at 11:15 p.m. on Saturdays.
Hayakawa said the broadcaster "has no intention of changing the names of these programs for now."
Johnny & Associates, the talent agency to which SMAP belongs, has announced that the group will be disbanded at the end of this year.
