Ueda was covering Jin's parts for concerts during his LA hiatus. Even though listening to the "cartoon KAT-TUN II You" album made it obvious a member was missing, I still enjoyed the album (and LOVE "Bokura no Machi de").

guilty_me - LOL, I don't know what kind of binding contracts Johnny has these guys sign but I think it's not so much he'd never let his cash cows go, rather the individuals themselves generally won't leave the company. Leaving Johnny's is essentially like blacklisting yourself from the industry. Once you establish yourself with Johnny's, that's it.