Fans Find it “Unnecessary” to Appoint New Johnny’s President Due to Increasing Appearances of Johnny’s Artists on TV

Artists from the former Johnny’s (SMILE-UP.) have been appearing one after another on major year-end singing programs.

 

“Best Artist 2023″ (NTV) broadcast on December 2 featured five groups: King & Prince, SixTONES, Snow Man, Sexy Zone, and Naniwa Otoko. The overall host was Sho Sakurai of Arashi.

On the same day, it was announced that Kanjani Eight, Snow Man, KinKi Kids, and SixTONES would perform at Fuji Television’s “FNS Song Festival” scheduled to air on the 13th.

“Music Station SUPER LIVE 2023″ (TV Asahi), which has not yet been announced, and “CDTV Live! Live!　Christmas SP” (TBS), which have yet to be announced, are also expected to feature a significant number of former Johnny’s groups.

The late Johnny Kitagawa’s sexual assault became the biggest topic in the entertainment industry this year. The number of victims was in the triple digits and was described as “a sex crime that will remain in the history of mankind.

 

As a result, “Johnny’s” disappeared and the company was renamed SMILEUP. It was a year of upheaval, with the discovery culture that had taken root in the media industry coming under scrutiny.

“I never thought that Johnny’s would cease to exist. It may be a sad time for fans, but it is not all bad news.”

“Now that the “special treatment” of the old Johnny’s is gone, we can expect more free and open casting. It is now possible to coexist and co-prosper with other idol groups, which was not possible before.” (Sports newspaper reporter) 

In response to the sexual assault issue, only public broadcasters NHK and TV Tokyo have refrained from using new casts. The former is largely because it is operated by the public through subscription fees.

It is not only in singing shows that the old Johnny’s are prominent. Dramas in the January season next year will continue to be dominated by the old Johnny’s.

 

In the NTV series alone, Shota Watanabe of Snow Man appears in “Sensei Sayonara”, Sho Sakurai in “XXX Occupation”, a sequel to “Daihyoin Sukyaku”, and Ren Nagase of Kinnipuri in “Zusho no Arisu”.

TV Asahi will also cast Shunsuke Michieda of Naniwa Otoko in “Mars – Zero no Kakumei” and Teru Iwamoto of Snow Man in “Koisuru Keisatsu 24 Jiken”. Fuji Television’s names include Sexy Zone’s Kento Nakajima for “Matsunaga-san in the Living Room” and KAT-TUN’s Kazuya Kamenashi for “Ooku”

“The casting for the January season had been decided to some extent before the sex-abuse issue was revealed. That does not mean that no former Johnny’s cast members will be used in the April drama series. After all, it is impossible to eliminate dependence on Johnny’s.”

The headwind has eased somewhat, and SMILE UP has created a special page on its website dedicated to the sexual assault issue, reporting on the progress of its compensation operations.

On the first of this month, the company announced that it had paid compensation to a total of 23 people who reported being victimized. According to the committee, there are 834 people who have reported damage and are seeking compensation. The road ahead is long and difficult, but it is safe to say that progress has been made for the time being.

 

In the meantime, some fans have begun to disregard Mr. Jun Fukuda of the agent company “Speedy,” who is reportedly going to become the head of the new company.

“He has been able to appear in singing shows and TV dramas, and more and more people are evaluating SMILE’s compensation services. The number of people who appreciate SMILE’s compensation services is increasing, and it is expected to expand further in the future. Since he has made a comeback, he seems to be of the opinion that “We don’t really need Mr. Fukuda.””

“Fukuda’s past social networking posts have drawn criticism, and there is a movement on the Internet against his appointment. Old fans of the Japanese traditional group are rejecting the idea of a particular political color being attached or a sudden change in the organization.”

Fukuda’s appointment as president was originally seen as a one-point move until the turmoil was resolved. In addition, according to a senior entertainment industry executive

Fukuda’s advocacy of an agent system will probably not catch on in the Japanese entertainment industry. Even if it is popular temporarily, it will eventually return to the original entertainment industry.

There has been no official announcement of Fukuda’s appointment, let alone the name of the new company. Not only the media but also fans are watching with bated breath to see what will happen.