X Japan aims to reunite this year

[Tokyograph News]

According to Yoshiki, rock band X JAPAN is planning to resume activity some time this year, with a concert planned before the year is up.

X JAPAN broke up in 1997. Last November, Yoshiki and vocalist TOSHI met again, and in February, the two announced that a reunion of the band was a possibility.

The plan is to re-form the group with guitarist PATA and bassist HEATH, the other two living members at the time the group disbanded. To fill in the role of hide, who unexpectedly died in 1998, Yoshiki suggested the inclusion of guest musicians.

Yoshiki hopes to begin the reunion concerts with a show in Los Angeles before the end of the year. There are also plans to release the vocal version of "WITHOUT YOU" as the band's first new single. (The song, which is dedicated to hide, originally appeared as an instrumental on Yoshiki's solo album in 1998. This past March, Yoshiki performed a version of the song with Toshi providing vocals.)

Yoshiki commented on the difficulty of the decision, mentioning that since hide's death, there have been many fans both requesting and opposing a reunion.

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