Japan Pop Band SMAP Urges Voters To Back Incumbents In Election

SMAP, the Japanese pop group (HUGE in Japan) that has dominated the nation’s music scene for more than two decades, urged voters to support incumbent politicians as the ruling party faces likely defeat in a national election this weekend.

The five-member all-male group, which has had a top-10 selling compact disc for 17 straight years with songs such as “Celery” and “Fly,” appeared in a four-page newspaper ad this week titled “How to Build a Happy Nation.”

“When the economy is good, prime ministers are popular, but in bad times, that popularity fades,” the band said in the ad, which was wrapped around the Aug. 26 morning edition of the Sankei newspaper. “Still, these are people whom we’ve elected, so let’s make some allowances and support them.”

The ad is an appeal to young voters to support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Takao Sasaki, a professor of politics and media at Heisei International University in Saitama, north of Tokyo.

“The ad clearly backs the LDP and Aso, and it could affect younger voters and SMAP fans who haven’t decided whom to support,” said Sasaki. It may have confused readers because it didn’t cite any products or affiliation on the first page, Sasaki said, adding he initially thought the ad had been placed by the election management commission as a public service.

Victor Entertainment Inc., which sells SMAP CDs and is a subsidiary of JVC Kenwood Holdings Inc., said it paid for the advertisement. An official at SMAP’s agent Johnny & Associates declined to answer questions on the phone about the ad.

‘Sotto Kyutto’

On the back side of the double-paged spread is an ad for a new CD called “Sotto Kyutto” or Softly, Tightly, which went on sale on Aug. 26 for 1,155 yen ($12.30).

The advertisement wasn’t meant to support any specific candidate or political party, said Yoichi Miyagawa, a Victor official who manages the SMAP account.

While the ad doesn’t mention any politicians by name, the message is clearly voicing support for Prime Minister Taro Aso and his party, said Susumu Kato, a managing director and chief economist at Calyon Securities.

The LDP, which has governed Japan for all but 10 months since 1955, is facing a landslide loss in the Aug. 30 election, according to newspaper polls.

“This advertisement wrapped around a national newspaper delivers a strong and clear message to support Aso and the ruling party,” said Kato. “The problem is it’s unclear who is behind this advertisement and for what purpose. The ad could affect the decisions of younger voters.”

Justin Timberlake And Snoop Dogg In A Musical Film?

Justin Timberlake and Snoop Dogg are being courted to star in a movie musical produced by Hong Kong actress Leslie Loh.

“We are in talks with Snoop and Justin about a film. It’s a perfect marriage between movies and music and will suit them down to the ground,” Loh revealed in an interview with The Daily Star on Wednesday.

Does this sound like a film you would watch?

BoA – Official Video Released for ‘Energetic’

BoA first caught our attention when she performed a free show at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles and she has quickly become a favorite of ours here at iMusicDaily.

She recently released her first English album and the dance beats are sick! Once listen and you’ll be hooked. It’s easy to see why she’s considered the Britney Spears of Asia.

Check out her latest video for ‘Energetic’.

BOA – ASIA’S BRITNEY SPEARS

 

Tonight we had the pleasure of witnessing a phenomenon that came quite unexpectedly. For the past couple of weeks, there has been a lot of hype created on KIISfm and on the internet as well about a pop artist named BoA who is set to make her US debut. She performed a free show at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles earlier this evening and she drew in a very large crowd. Her very first english album was just released in the states and she already has a major following. People of all ages gathered closely at CityWalk to witness this Asian Pop Mega Star perform two tracks from her latest album. Check out the videos below to catch a glimpse of this rising star. She’s got moves that are going to make you want to get up and try for yourself.

 

 

BOA – FREE SHOW @UNIVERSAL CITYWALK TONIGHT

 

If you live in the LA area and happen to listen to KIISfm, chances are you’ve been hearing a lot about BoA, the Asian mega pop star. She’s already topped the club charts with her hit ‘Eat You Up’ and now she’s ready to take over the US with next hit ‘I Did It For Love’. 

She’s performing a free show at Universal CityWalk tonight in Los Angeles, so if you’re in town, come out and join us. The show starts @ 6:30pm. 

Hope to see you there!

Her self-titled album is available on iTunes now. 

 

 

Check BoA’s performance of ‘Eat You Up’ from YouTube Live in Tokyo.