Anzen Chitai

Biography

Anzen Chitai (安全地帯; literally "Safety Zone") is a Japanese rock band, formed in 1973 by five musicians in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. After debuting in Tokyo in 1982, they became one of Japan's most successful rock bands of the 1980s.

1970s: Beginnings

Formed in 1973 as the high-school garage band Invader in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, its original members included vocalist Koji Tamaki, guitarist Yutaka Takezawa and guitarist/keyboardist Toshiya Takezawa, who is also Yutaka's brother. Later, in late 1973, Koji's brother and drummer, Kazuyoshi Tamaki and bassist Takahiro Miyashita joined. In 1977, the band changed its name to Anzen Chitai ("Safety Zone"), and Kazuyoshi Tamaki left the group to be replaced by Ichiji Ohira. By December 1977, Anzen Chitai merged with another band, the Haruyoshi Rokudo Band (六土開正バンド, Rokudō Haruyoshi Bando), and added three more members: bassist Haruyoshi Rokudo, guitarist Wataru Yahagi, and drummer Yuji Tanaka. By this point, they had expanded to an eight-member group. Within the next three years, Toshiya Takezawa and Takahiro Miyashita left. Yuji Tanaka also left at this point.

1980s: Commercial success

In 1981, they began work as a backup band for singer-songwriter Yōsui Inoue, and released their debut single, "Moegi Iro no Snap" (萠黄色のスナップ, Moegi Iro no Sunappu) under the Kitty Records in February 1982. However, the final personnel change occurred as Ichiji Ohira left, and Yuji Tanaka returned in his place, establishing the current lineup.
Under the guidance of their producer and co-arranger Masaru Hoshi (星 勝, Hoshi Masaru), lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock group The Mops, the band continued to refine their craft in the studio. Their status as a backup band soon changed: in 1984, "Wine Red no Kokoro" (ワインレッドの心, Wain Reddo No Kokoro; lit. Wine Red Heart) reached No. 1 on the Oricon charts, to be followed by among others, "Kanashimi ni Sayonara" (悲しみにさよなら) and "Suki Sa" (好きさ) (featured on the popular Rumiko Takahashi anime series Maison Ikkoku). "Wine Red no Kokoro" was composed by Koji Tamaki with lyrics by Yōsui Inoue. Koji Tamaki was credited as the sole composer in virtually all of Anzen Chitai's music, with Gorō Matsui being the lyricist frequently. Their popularity in the 1980s culminated in a five-day sold-out concert tour at the Nippon Budokan in 1987, which had a total attendance of 60,000. They also held concerts outside Japan, including concerts in Hong Kong Coliseum.

1990s and 2000s: Frequent hiatuses

Despite a couple of hiatuses for the sake of solo careers (July 1988 – March 1990, 1993–2001), Anzen Chitai continued to record and tour. A new studio album was released in October 2003, titled Anzen Chitai X (their tenth studio album). After their Japanese concert tour in support of the "Anzen Chitai X" album, the band announced at the end of 2003 that they are taking yet another indefinite hiatus.
In 2006, Koji Tamaki remained active as a solo performer and television actor, with Wataru Yahagi performing in both his solo albums and concerts. Yutaka Takezawa was also active in the music business as a composer, producer, arranger and session guitarist.
On April 28, 2008, fan club members were notified that Tamaki had announced his retirement from music, as well as the closing of the official Koji Tamaki & Anzenchitai fan club, Star. Illness requiring long-term treatment was cited as the reason for as his decision.
During the second half of 2009, the band held secret meetings and decided to regroup. Similar to their amateur days, band members lodged together to practise and compose music.

2010–present: Returning from hiatus

On January 8, 2010, the band announced the resumption of their career along with making appearance on the television program Tokudane!. Switching back to Universal Music Japan (which has absorbed their former label Kitty Records and is the distributor of their pre-Sony Music Japan catalog) as their record label, a music video for their new single "Aoi Bara" was released. Their double A-side single "Aoi Bara/Wine Red no Kokoro (2010 version)" was released on March 3, 2010. Tamaki wrote the lyrics and music of "Aoi Bara." The single debuted at No. 9 on Oricon weekly charts, becoming their first Top 10 single in 21 years and 6 months since "Hohoemi ni Kanpai" in 1988.
Anzen Chitai released Anzenchitai XI Starts "Mata ne...", their first album in nearly seven years, on May 26, 2010. They then released Anzen Chitai Hits on June 30, 2010. This album encapsulated the rerecorded versions of their singles throughout the 1980s. Their next studio album, Anzenchitai XII, was released on September 14, 2011, quickly followed by Anzenchitai XIII Junk just months later on November 16, 2011. The band's fourteenth studio album, Anzenchitai XIV ~The Saltmoderate Show~, was released on March 16, 2013.
On December 23, 2022, it was announced that drummer Yuji Tanaka had died on December 17, at the age of 65.
On March 12, 2025, guitarist Yutaka Takezawa revealed on Twitter that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2021 and had undergone surgery and chemotherapy, and his illness had gone into remission since then.

Current members

Koji Tamaki (玉置浩二, Tamaki Kōji) – vocals, guitars, percussion (1973–present)
Yutaka Takezawa (武沢豊, Takezawa Yutaka) – guitars (1973–present)
Wataru Yahagi (矢萩渉, Yahagi Wataru) – guitars (1977–present)
Haruyoshi Rokudo (六土開正, Rokudō Haruyoshi) bass, piano, keyboards (1977–present)

Former members

Toshiya Takezawa (武沢俊也, Takezawa Toshiya) – guitars, keyboards (1973–1981)
Takahiro Miyashita (宮下隆宏, Miyashita Takahiro) – bass (1973–1978)
Kazuyoshi Tamaki (玉置一芳, Tamaki Kazuyoshi) – drums (1973–1977)
Ichiji Ohira (大平市治, Ōhira Ichiji) – drums (1977–1982)
Yuji Tanaka (田中裕二, Tanaka Yūji) – drums (1977–1978, 1982–2022; his death)