After a quarter-century run, the Japanese boy band SMAP has decided to call it quits on Dec. 31, its management agency said in a press release Sunday, shocking die-hard fans in Asia and around the world.

Some of the members of the synchronized five-man idol group — Takuya Kimura, Shingo Katori, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Masahiro Nakai — believe it's best to go their separate ways, and their decision will be respected, Johnny & Associates said in a statement on its website.

"Some members have expressed their wish to disband, rather than to suspend" SMAP's active schedule as a group, the statement said.