Event: Nagoya

The quintet from Nagoya — comprising (from left) Sangen Ron, Junsei Iwai, Musashi, Hayato Komiya and Kion Umemura — released their debut album “Tomogachi Ga Imashita” on June 17. | COURTESY OF TROOPER SALUTE Graduations never phased Hayato Komiya. The 24-year-old says he was the kind of person who watched others cry from a cool distance, thinking he wouldn’t lose touch with those he cared about.But that changed when he started college and joined a music club, where he eventually had to bid farewell to upperclassmen he’d befriended in May 2023. “I felt this overwhelming sadness,” Komiya tells The Japan Times over a video call. “From around then, I started writing more about human relationships.” In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW