Japan pop group SMAP to split

This picture shows Japanese papers reporting on the popular Japanese boy band SMAP's break up at the end of the year in Tokyo on August 14, 2016. -AFP

TOKYO: Hugely popular Japanese boy band SMAP will break up at the end of the year, their management said Sunday, saddening their army of fans across Asia and marking the end of an era.

The five members of the group, now in their late 30s and early 40s, are regularly referred to as “national idols” and have dominated Japan’s show business industry for the past quarter of a century.