Arashi (嵐?, literally Storm) is a popular Japanese boy band consists of five members formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Arashi's group members are Ohno Satoshi (leader of the group), Matsumoto Jun, Aiba Masaki, Sakurai Sho and Ninomiya Kazunari. The group was initially signed to Pony Canyon and released one studio album and six singles—beginning with their 1999 eponymous debut single—before moving to the Johnny's subsidiary label J Storm in 2001, which was initially set up for their succeeding releases. While their debut single debuted atop the Oricon weekly chart selling a little over half a million copies, the group subsequently faced slowly declining sales.

With the release of their eighteenth single "Love So Sweet", Arashi began gaining commercial success as "Love So Sweet" was used as the opening theme song for the high-rating drama Hana Yori Dango 2, making it one of the top five best-selling singles of 2007 in Japan and the group's first single to exceed 400,000 copies sold overall in nearly seven years. For the next two years, Arashi gained a number of achievements and records as they became the first artist to place the top two rankings on the Oricon singles yearly chart for two consecutive years with their singles "Truth/Kaze no Mukō e" and "One Love" in 2008 and "Believe/Kumorinochi, Kaisei" and "Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon (Kimi wa Muteki)" in 2009, simultaneously topped the 2009 Oricon singles, album and music DVD yearly charts, and became the third artist in Oricon history to monopolize the top three best-selling singles of the year. In 2010, all six of Arashi's singles ranked within the top ten of the Oricon singles yearly chart, and their million-selling studio album Boku no Miteiru Fūkei was named the best-selling album of the year in Japan.



Name: 大野智
Name (romaji): Ohno Satoshi
Nicknames: Ridaa (Leader) / Captain / Oh~Chan / Satoshi-kun / Samii (By Nino)
Profession: Actor, singer and show host
Birthdate: 1980-Nov-26
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Height: 166cm
Weight: 49kg
Blood type: A
Star sign: Sagittarius
Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment

Satoshi Ohno (大野 智 Ōno Satoshi?) (born November 26, 1980) is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, artist, and radio host. He is the lead vocalist and leader of Japanese boy band Arashi, hence his nickname Leader (リーダー Rīdā?). Ohno began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1994 at the age of 13. He started an acting career in 1997 when he was cast to be part of the stage play Kyo to Kyo.





Name: 松本潤
Name (romaji): Matsumoto Jun
Nicknames: Matsujun, Junji, King [by all Arashi], Jun-chan, Matsumoto-kun, Macchan (when bowling)
Profession: Actor, singer
Birthdate: 1983-Aug-30
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Height: 173cm
Weight: 58kg
Star sign: Virgo
Blood type: A-
Family: Older sister
Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment

Matsumoto Jun, a member of the popular boyband Arashi, has been making waves in the acting circle of Japan. He started his career at the age of 13 and was given the chance to play the lead role in “Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo 3″. However, the role that most people will remember him in is that of Sawada Shin in “Gokusen” where he showed he had real talent in acting, and not only in singing and dancing.




Name: 相葉雅紀
Name (romaji): Aiba Masaki
Profession: Actor and singer
Birthdate: 1982-Dec-24
Birthplace: Chiba, Japan
Height: 176cm
Weight: 56kg
Star sign: Capricorn
Blood type: AB
Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment


Masaki Aiba (相葉 雅紀 Aiba Masaki?) (born December 24, 1982) is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, television personality and radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi.

Aiba began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 13. Prior to his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999, Aiba started an acting career when he was cast as the lead role of Gordie for the stage play Stand by Me, which was based on the film of the same name. About five years after his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999.



Name: 櫻井翔 (さくらい　しょう)
Name (romaji): Sakurai Sho
Nicknames: Sho-kun / Sho-chan
Profession: Actor, singer and TV news anchor
Birthdate: 1982-Jan-25
Birthplace: Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Height: 171cm
Weight: 60kg
Star sign: Aquarius
Blood type: A
Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment



Sho Sakurai (櫻井 翔 Sakurai Shō?) (born January 25, 1982) is a Japanese idol, singer, songwriter, actor, newscaster, host and former radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi.

Sakurai began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1995 at the age of 13. About seven years after his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999, he became a newscaster in 2006, appearing in the news program News Zero every Monday. In 2008, he was appointed the official newscaster for the news coverage of the Olympic Games in Beijing on NTV.



Name: 二宮和也
Name (romaji): Ninomiya Kazunari
Nickname: Nino
Profession: Actor, singer, songwriter, showhost
Birthdate: 1983-Jun-17
Birthplace: Katsushika City, Tokyo, Japan
Height: 168cm
Weight: 49kg
Star sign: Gemini
Blood type: A
Family: Sister (2 years older)
Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment



Kazunari Ninomiya (二宮 和也 Ninomiya Kazunari?, born June 17, 1983), often called Nino (ニノ?), is a Japanese idol, singer, songwriter, actor, voice actor and radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi and is best known to movie audiences for his portrayal as Private Saigo in the 2006 Clint Eastwood war film Letters from Iwo Jima.

Ninomiya began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 13. Prior to his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999.

Labels: Arashi, JPOP