Behind Kiyoshi Matsuo’s contract termination: Johnny’s’s “unusual relationship” with Tatsuro Yamashita & Mariya Takeuchi, a major figure in the office.

[Joon]’s management contract with the agency he had been with for 15 years came to an end in the middle of his tenure. This was due to my mention in the media of the Johnny’s’s office and its president, Keiko Fujishima Julie Fujishima.

A statement made on Twitter by famous music producer Kiyoshi Matsuo (55) is creating a bigger stir by the day. On July 1, Matsuo suddenly announced that his contract with his agency had been terminated. And the reports did not stop there.

I regret to hear that Tatsuro Yamashita, who invited me to join the company, agrees with the company’s policy. Thank you for all the support you have given me. Bye-bye!

The announcement of his breakup not only with his agency, but also with the other major figures at the agency, including Tatsuro Yamashita (70) and Mariya Takeuchi (68), caused even more consternation in the public. A source in the entertainment industry tells the story of the uproar.

In his columns and on the radio, Matsuo had been sharply critical of the late Janie Kitagawa’s handling of the sexual assault case, both at the office and in the media. It is said that this attitude caused a conflict with his agency, leading to the termination of his contract.

Matsuo is a famous producer who won the 50th Japan Record Award in 2008 for EXILE’s “Ti Amo,” for which he wrote the lyrics and music, and has also worked with Ken Hirai, CHEMISTRY, and JUJU. The influence of Matsuo’s comments, who is a representative of Japan both in name and reality, was so great that the official website of the office was in an uproar, with the server down due to a concentration of access.

However, it is said that the “extraordinary relationship” between the office and Johnny’s was so deep that such a big name had to be cut off. A former staff member at the office revealed the following.

The kicker was that in 1982, the first office president, Mr. Riuzo Kosugi, produced “High Teen Boogie” by Masahiko Kondo (58), and it became a big hit. The song’s composition and arrangement by Yamashita and Takeuchi’s participation in the chorus established a close relationship with Johnny’s.

KinKi Kids’ debut song, “Glass Boy,” which was released in 1997 and became a big hit, was also produced by Mr. Kosugi and Mr. Yamashita. Since then, it has become a tradition for Japanese celebrities to attend Mr. Yamashita’s live performances. Just to name a few, they include Noriyuki Higashiyama (56), Takuya Kimura (50), Tsuyoshi Domoto (44), Koichi Domoto (44), and Sho Sakurai (41). That is how deep the relationship with Johnny’s is.

The office had many creators, including lyricists and composers, and they depended on Johnny’s for the majority of their work. For this reason, the office has made it a top priority to maintain its relationship with Johnny’s, and it seems that over the past few years there has been an exodus of talent and staff who could no longer tolerate the old structure. Matsuo’s statement this time also reflected his distrust of such a background.

On the other hand, did Matsuo himself have any problems? A former staff member at the office continued, “Mr. Matsuo is also a member of the office’s Twitter group.

Mr. Matsuo has also benefited from the contacts at his office, such as his appearance on “Kanjam Complete Burning Show” (TV Asahi) and his regular radio program “Kiyoshi Matsuo’s Mellow Night” (NHK-FM). He must have understood the difficult kitchen situation. Considering this, some have said that this one-sided criticism of the office is too inconsiderate.

The current turmoil has caused a great deal of controversy. How is it going to turn out? ……