NHK's "The Professional" profiles, through interviews and situational coverage, people who are notable for their dedication to some craft or business vision. The series grew out of "Project X," the very popular documentary series about Japan's industrial breakthroughs of the past, and is meant to spotlight innovators and creative types who are currently operating.
Last week, the series featured SMAP, which may sound like a joke. Though the five-member boy band is the most famous pop act in Japan, their professionalism is not directly linked to their singing and dancing abilities; and the program made it clear that SMAP's success, both as a group and as individual stars, has nothing to do with capability. Because they appear on TV so often, the five men, ranging in age from 34 to 39, have occasionally admitted that they know they aren't talented. It isn't just false modesty. They aren't talented; at least, not in the way that people profiled on "The Professional" usually are. But that doesn't mean they aren't professionals. They are professional idols, and the program was forthright in showing what that means.
SMAP's management company, Johnny & Associates, is notorious for keeping a tight rein on its charges, but NHK freely followed the group on various assignments during this, its 20th year in show business. The centerpiece was SMAP's first ever performance in a foreign country, its September concert at the Beijing Olympic soccer stadium.