It's done, kind of.
I'm a little bit late with this...I'm sure that many of you have already heard.Since our latest tour has just ended, we've been in the middle of preparations for our live event at the end of this month, "Natsu no sukima".When I heard the news, I couldn't fully understand it.But, in all honesty, I couldn't think, "only he would do something like this".Because we all live from day to day amid various temptations - I know that I do.Certainly, the weakness had taken on such a form "inside him" that I think there is no denying it and almost no margin of explanation. I've received messages of concern from many people. As the information has gone around, through television and the papers and so on, I've begun to realize the gravity of the situation. It hasn't done anything to affect our one-time friendship or our good-natured rivalry as musicians.I believe that he can come back, because of those relationships.No matter how much time it might take.The other members of the band have said that they don't want to stop activity*.I think the only thing that anyone can do now is to wait.For the fans of the band, and its supporters, I think that a time of painful decision is drawing near. Even with their determination to go on, I can't imagine how they'll find the strength to it. It's a painful thing to have to think about.Simply by waiting for him, we can ensure that he'll have something to come back to.If you feel the same way that I do, even if it's only just a little bit, even if it's only at this moment, then I ask of you - please hold your judgement on him.He'll likely be facing many hardships and much pain of heart in the days to come, as he has to face punishment for what he's done.There's nothing we can do to help him. The truth of the matter is, he's in a place where none of us can watch over him.And so all we can do is wait.In his eyes, we may be his only allies. Please, if you're reading this, send him strength in the form of hope.I deeply apologize for the amount of worry and trouble that this has caused everyone.Yuki Sakurai--Posted to rice's offical site on August 19th.*I'm assuming he means that they don't want to stop in a permanent sense; Black Love has already announced an indefinite pause in activity at their site.And the untranslated version again, for good measure:etc