KAT-TUN
| KAT-TUN | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tokyo |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | J-One Records |
| Website |
www Johnny's net |
| Members |
Kazuya Kamenashi Tatsuya Ueda Yuichi Nakamaru |
| Past members |
Jin Akanishi Koki Tanaka Junnosuke Taguchi |
KAT-TUN (カトゥーン Katūn?) is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates (Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Their debut on March 22, 2006 was marked by a release of a CD single, album and music DVD on their exclusive record label J-One Records. Since then, all of their single, album and music DVD releases have debuted at number one on the Oricon music and DVD charts.
In 2010 Akanishi left the group to start a solo career, making the group's acronym then come from KAmenashi, Taguchi, Tanaka, Ueda, and Nakamaru, and the group toured with five members. In 2013, Tanaka's contract was terminated for several violations, leaving KAT-TUN as a four-man ensemble, and Tatsuya Ueda took the T to keep the acronym. Junnosuke Taguchi made an announcement on November 16, 2015 that he will be leaving KAT-TUN and Johnny & Associates in Spring 2016.
Before becoming KAT-TUN, each member belonged to different trainee units within Johnny & Associates. In 2001, eight members were chosen to become a temporary dancing unit in order to support Koichi Domoto in the NHK music program, Pop Jam. The eight members were switched around before it officially became KAT-TUN, with the current three members plus Jin Akanishi, Koki Tanaka and Junnosuke Taguchi. Although the formation was only meant to be a temporary support unit, KAT-TUN gained a great deal of attention and became a solid unit.
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