On the one hand, the Stones' first visit to Japan was a social phenomenon that affected all of Japan. I think one of the reasons why this performance became historic was because the Budokan performance was canceled in 1973.

At that time, as a child, I also thought that Japan was a terrible country. In 1972, the Stones released their masterpiece, ``Main Street Goons,'' and during what could be called one of the band's golden years, an unprecedented live performance of 5 Budokan concerts was planned in Japan. However, just before he came to Japan in 1973, even though tickets had gone on sale, it was suddenly canceled, probably due to the wishes of the Japanese government. The reason was that Mick had a history of marijuana arrests, but we knew that from the beginning.

• Were the Stones really that dangerous to the Japanese government?

  Why the Japanese government refused the Stones' visit to Japan remains a mystery. There is even a theory that there was a member of parliament who worked hard to bring the Stones to Japan at the time, but he got caught up in a political dispute and was defeated, which led to him not coming to Japan. The Stones originally had an image of decadence and decadence, but their refusal to come to Japan led to them being branded as dangerous. Even when they were offered an official photo shoot before coming to Japan in 1990, the publicist in New York said at the end, ``However, we don't know if the Stones will actually be able to land in Japan.'' I thought that the Stones were still wary of the nightmare cancellation of their tour to Japan in 1973.

• In the 1970s, the people who decided whether or not to come to Japan were people who had not been raised in rock culture. But in the 1990s, the generation that grew up listening to rock music in real time was in a position to drive things. If you think about it that way, we may have had to wait until the 1990s before Japanese society properly accepted the Stones.

  surely. Keith, who was a junkie in the 1970s and was labeled by the media as ``the next person to die from drugs'', stopped taking drugs around the 1980s and began to focus more on music. The Stones remained legendary in the 1970s and afterwards, but in the 1980s, around the album ``The Tattooed Man,'' Mick and others took on a healthier image, and in the 1990s. The image of the band also changed in 2016. I would say that they have been praised as a band that has continued to survive despite facing various difficulties. I don't think Japan was able to accept the Stones until that happened.

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• Since their first visit to Japan in 1990, the Stones have performed in Japan six times, and Mr. Ariga has been asked by the band to take photos for all of them as their official photographer. What do you think is the reason why you have continued to be an official?

  Japanese people have an unfortunate history of not being able to see the Stones live. I became a rock photographer because I wanted to photograph the Stones, and when I was just starting out, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to photograph Kiyoshiro Imawano and the Blue Hearts. Even then, I kept taking pictures believing that Mick or Keith would be next. That's why when I first came to Japan in 1990, I photographed the Stones in front of me by overlapping them with my own ideal image of the Stones. I think that became my own taste, and the Stones came to appreciate it as well. He said, ``Your photos are different from the photos taken by Western photographers.''

• This time too, we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Stones' visit to Japan, and I think each item encapsulates the Stones' universal appeal.

  I really want to show it to the members, and I think they'll be happy. Either way, I was able to make it with permission from the Stones, so it's an official T-shirt in a sense.

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• This time, Keith is appearing in T-shirt type 4. What kind of reaction do you think he would have if he saw this T-shirt?

  I'm sure you'll be laughing out loud (lol). Compared to 30 years ago, Keith is naturally an old man, and his quitting smoking also made the news. Nowadays, I'd be thrilled if Keith dared to wear this t-shirt, which is made up of cigarettes. Even as Keith gets older and stops smoking, he's still Keith.

  I would like to deliver it to the members as well.

  Yeah. If I show them the T-shirt, I think they'll say ``good job,'' both to me and to glamb. I think people can feel the strength of the Japanese people. I took this photo as if I was going to die. 30 years later, Glamb has applied this to fashion. Although it's just a T-shirt, I feel that the relationship and strong feelings between the Stones and Japan are clearly engraved on it. I feel like they really appreciate that.