SMAP, the pop group 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 Sunday's Lower House election.
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 Wednesday morning edition of the Sankei newspaper. "Still, these are people whom we've elected, so let's make some allowances and support them."