In March, Akatsuki’s producer Katsuhiro Otomo began a public petition to have his group removed from the official Japanese music charts.
He was arrested in February for “inciting people to commit crimes.”
He pleaded not guilty in April and was released on bail.
The next day, Otomo posted on Twitter: “The petition was filed to ask for my release, and to ask that my name not be listed in the Japanese charts, because that’s what they do, and it’s a criminal offense.”
The petition was also posted on the Akatsuki website, which was subsequently taken offline.
When the petition was revived a week later, it was met with a barrage of negative reactions from fans and the press.
One fan said, “You don’t know how many people are listening to this.”
Another added, “Akatsuki fans are getting a bad reputation.”
The same day that Otomo’s petition was renewed, Akikawa announced the cancellation of the concert.
The group issued a statement saying that “in light of the recent events, we have decided to cancel our concert in Japan.
This is our last show.”
Otomo told reporters, “I have always been a very big fan of Akatsuki.
I feel sorry for the fans who feel betrayed by this.”
In August, the group announced that it would be playing the world’s largest concert, the Super Bowl, at Wembley Stadium in London.
In March 2018, the band said it would not return to Japan, but was given permission to perform in China, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia in the next two years.
“In Japan, there are so many talented musicians who are making an impact in the country and abroad,” Otomo said.
“There are also a lot of young people, who want to play and make an impact on their country.”
A Japanese official told Newsweek that Otomu was “not a member of the group.
It’s not a matter of our policy or anything like that.”
“We just wanted to put on the best concert we could, as far as we know, and I feel it would have been the best way to continue our music career,” he said.
When asked if Akatsuki would play in China again, the official replied, “We would definitely like to do that.”
Otomo also said that Akatsuki will perform a new show, in the fall, at the Tokyo Dome.
He said, “[I] want to thank the fans for their support and for the kind words.”
But while Akatsuki has announced that they will not perform in Japan again, fans say that their songs are being played in Japan by the country’s pop stars.
“
I think it’s very good, and we hope that they continue to play the song.”