^So it's not official? I thought it was. Honestly I'm not surprised. But I feel sad in a way.

:thud I'm speechless, sure this comment reveals a lot

I'm sad anyway. And I think Akanishi will be disappointed. He won't make it in the U.S. I didn't think he would be that naive.

This is irony pure. My favourite band ever is going to be reunited in their original formation and on the same day KAT-TUN decide to be a five piece. The pop-gods have a weird sense of humor.

well...it could be my delusional self setting in, lol, but...i just want a clear written official statement coming from the Jimusho. and i'm sure they will clarify (or definitely confirm) things after Jin's tour ends. so far, it seems like it's word of the mouth.

i have a Twitter friend in Japan & she still says Jin leaving is a "maybe" but by the looks of it, she's preparing for a KaT-TUN group & a Akanishi Jin solo.

Umm...what's going on recently, in real form? I'm kind of confused, so could anyone summarize what is going on in the past week or so?

^ "KAT-TUN's Jin Akanishi (26) will officially graduate from the group later this year, it has been announced. During KAT-TUN's concert at the Tokyo Dome on Friday night, Johnny's Jimusho president Johnny Kitagawa said that the final decision will be made after Akanishi's U.S. tour this fall, but at this point it appears to already be guaranteed."

Source: www.tokyograph.com/news/id-6357

Aww... That's sad to say - and why???

^ I think Jin's ego is too big for being in a group :/

He will regret it. I'm pretty sure. On the other hand I'm happy that the Jimusho obviously also think that KAT-TUN are important and cannot be a safety cushion for Jin's failed adventures. What I really hope happens now is much more exposure of TTUN.

visionfactory
Do you mean that he's just "uncomfortable and cannot stand it"? Is he thinking about being a soloist? And could it be in America where Jin's life as a soloist could be?

it's true , I hope T-TUN will get more exposure as they're really under-rated

Also like what was mentioned before , if you want to make it big & be someone/something in US , it's not going to be easy

not everyone knows who is Akanishi Jin in US as compared to Japan

but really if the worst case scenerio happens , I really hope this will not signify the breakup of KAT-TUN , I will be devastated if they're going to disband just because of this ;__;

He held a solo concert in USA earlier this year and he's planning to tour in every continent except Asia

Why does he not want to tour in Asia?

because KT-TUN are currently touring Asia , this year's their 1st Asian tour they embark on

they released NO MORE PAIN to concide with things . They'll be stopping by Korea , Taiwan among other places

they supposed to go to Thailand but because of political unrest , that got scrapped

I don't think it's on his plans by now, it's most likely if everything goes wrong and nobody supports his work he's going back to Asia

I hope Jin does well and stays safe outside of Japan and into America (btw, where will he stay for his residence, and will he keep his Japanese citizenship?), but he might be a rookie in America, so we'll just have to see...

By the end of the year, it seems that it will be the end of the Jin Akanishi era and the start of a new era - the fourth era - first as initially, then Jin's temporary leave for school, then came back, and now by the time 2011 comes, the era without Jin Akanishi...

Also, is Jin Akanishi the leader of KAT-TUN or not? And if not, who is it as of now? But if Jin is the leader, who would replace him?

..I always thought Kame was the leader..

Oh, I see... Kame's actually the leader...

Back to KAT-TUN's Asia tour - when they travel, do they fly ANA (All Nippon Airways), JAL (Japan Airlines) and/or other airline carrier? I kind of remember a bit that members of KAT-TUN were flying on ANA with Johnny's escort...

there's no leader in the group but Kame's considered as the unofficial one as he's very good when comes to MC's in concerts & etc

also all 6 of their personalities are so different . Ueda was originally appointed as the group's leader but that got scrapped as they felt so restrictive

no idea on that

For the airline issue, that would be someone else's matter...