The future of “Shonen-tai,” the symbol of Johnny’s named by Mr. Johnny, is finally in limbo due to Noriyuki Higashiyama’s confusion.

The existence of “Shonen-tai,” a unit of three members including Noriyuki Higashiyama (57), Issei Nishikori (58), and Katsuhide Uekusa (57), which is a symbol of the former Johnny’s office (now known as SMILE-UP.), is finally in the air.

Higashiyama, who became president of the company following the sexual assault scandal involving the company’s founder, Janney Kitagawa, announced his retirement from performing at the end of this year, but has since turned around and reportedly declined to become president of the new agent company, which he had planned to do. Nishikori and Uekusa left the group at the end of 2008, leaving the members in a disjointed state. However, “Shonen-tai,” which was a unit under the direction of Mr. Janney, has become a special case in that it has neither disbanded nor disappeared, and its name has remained in existence. However, there are no plans for the group to be active. For this reason, some have begun to question the existence of the group.

In the wake of the sexual assault scandal, the former Johnny’s office has changed its name and begun to reorganize itself. However, some in the entertainment and TV industries are wondering if it is safe for the Shonen-tai, a group created by Mr. Janney, to remain in a state of limbo. Furthermore, there are a number of unclear issues surrounding the unit, including the fundamental question of what will happen to Shonen-tai after Higashiyama retires.

Shonen-tai was formed in 1982. The following year, they won the Best New Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards, and from that year onward, they made their big breakthrough with eight consecutive appearances in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest).

When Nishikori and Uekusa announced their departure, Johnny’s’s described the unit in an unusual way, calling it “the boys’ group that Johnny created and nurtured,” and commented, “We respect the wishes of the members and have decided to keep the name as their group from now on. He even went as far as to say that the group’s achievements were worthy of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and it was impressive that he emphasized that the group was treated differently.

It is said that Mr. Johnny’s called Shonen-tai, which he had nurtured with his own hands, his “masterpiece,” and they continued to play a central role in Johnny’s’s life. It is only natural that he would wonder if he could continue to do so.