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.