Kimura Family Shines as Johnny’s Family Business Flourishes Post Ban-Lift on Joint Performances

On March 20th, the music and fashion festival KANSAI COLLECTION 2024 SPRING&SUMMER was held at Kyocera Dome Osaka, and singer and actor Yuma Nakayama (30), affiliated with SMILE-UP. However, she appeared on stage with her older sister Nana Yamada (31), a former NMB48 member and current YouTuber, and her younger sister Suzu Yamada (22), also a former NMB member and currently a member of the idol group Strawberry Girls.

This was the first time for the three siblings to perform together on stage. In an interview afterwards, Nakayama said, “I felt at ease,” and Suzu smiled and said, “I was looking forward to this day,” and was happy to perform with them.

In the days of the old Johnny’s, it was quite taboo for a talent who belonged to the company to perform with his or her relatives. The first time the former “Hey! Say! JUMP” member Keito Okamoto (30) and his father Kenichi Okamoto (54) performed together for the stage “Le Fils son” in August 2021, it became a topic of conversation, but it was a rather rare example. Normally, it was a situation where even mentioning the topic of one’s relatives was a no-no. However, the rules have clearly changed.

As can be seen in the flurry of marriage announcements and reports of passionate love affairs among the talent in the company, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (STARTO), which took over management operations from the former Johnny’s, has freed itself from the various restrictions it had previously been bound by. It is a change from the old Johnny’s. This may be part of the company’s strategy to enhance its image as a new company reborn from the old Johnny’s.

Nakayama was reported in FRIDAY last January to have a younger girlfriend of nine years, and there is a strong possibility that he will reach his goal within the year.

Many of the talents affiliated with former Johnny’s are celebrities. The wife of SMILE president Noriyuki Higashiyama (57) is actress Yoshino Kimura (47), the wife of STARTO COO Yoshihiko Inohara (47) is actress Asaka Seto (47), and Takuya Kimura (51). Everyone knows that his wife is singer Shizuka Kudo (53), their eldest daughter is model and flute player Cocomi (22), and their second daughter is model Kōki (21).

In addition, the wife of TOKIO leader Shigeru Jojima (53) is the celebrity Risa Kikuchi (28), and the wife of former V6 member Masayuki Sakamoto (52) is former Takarazuka top star Hikaru Asami (age not disclosed). Hiroshi Nagano (51)’s wife is actress Miho Shiraishi (45). The other day, it was announced that Keiichiro Koyama (39) of NEWS and Misako Uno (37) of AAA are getting married. Apart from his spouse, it is known that the father of SixTONES member Kyomoto Taiga (29) is actor Kyomoto Masaki (65). If the ban on co-starring among family members is officially lifted in the future, what kind of developments can we expect?

 

Asaka Seto was about to settle down and start raising her children in earnest, but she was unable to move due to the influence of the late Johnny Kitagawa’s sexual assault scandal. Therefore, it may be possible to start with a guest appearance in the TV Asahi drama 7 Detectives, in which Inohara plays the lead role, starting in April.

Since Sakamoto often appears on stage, his first co-starring role after marriage with Asami, who got married after co-starring on stage, may be realized sooner than expected. Nagano-san and Shiraishi-san are likely to be in demand for their cooking shows, and Koyama-san and Uno-san are still newlyweds, so even just showing off two shots of them could become a hot topic. Since Mr. Kyomoto is on the rise as an actor, it is likely that he will co-star with his father in a video work.’Kyomoto-san is emerging as an actor, so it is likely that he and his father will co-star in a video production, said a TV station official.

 

 

The Kimura family is the most popular with TV stations and the advertising industry.

The two daughters have been co-starring with each other at every turn, talking about their father’s favorite dramas on Instagram Live, and posting pictures of their father’s body parts on SNS, and they have been flooded with access. However, since her marriage in 2001, Shizuka has continued to abide by the old Johnny’s rules.

If the ban on co-starring is lifted, there are many plans surrounding the Kimura family, such as co-starring in commercials and talk shows with family members and couples, and parent-child co-starring of Kōki, who is also an actress, and Kimura-san. Mr. Kimura is also active as a YouTuber, and Shizuka and her daughters have influence on SNS, so the advertising effect will be great.

The Kimura family, of course, is likely to become a full-fledged family business for the talent who have celebrities in their family.

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