Matsumoto Jun’s Decision Sparks Independence Dominoes: Next Members and Arashi’s Absolute Conditions

In April, just a month after the launch of the new agency “STARTO ENTERTAINMENT” to manage former Johnny’s talent, a departure has already occurred.

 

“Arashi” member Jun Matsumoto (40) announced his departure from STARTO Entertainment on May 30. He had been responsible for directing the performance of the agency’s talents at the live event “WE ARE! Let’s get the party STARTO!!”, which is scheduled for May 29 and 30, along with Tadayoshi Okura (39) from “SUPER EIGHT” (formerly known as “Kanjani Eight”). He will continue his activities as part of “Arashi” even after his personal departure. 

Following Ninomiya Kazunari (40), who left the agency last October, Matsumoto becomes the second member of the group to pursue independence. It seems the “domino effect” of independence within the group continues.

“There is a possibility that Sho Sakurai (42) may also pursue independence. In April of this year, Sakurai opened his own official website as a point of contact for work inquiries and also announced his appearance in the July drama ‘Warau Matryoshka’ (TBS). Despite this, he also has multiple commitments, including appearing in Morinaga & Company’s chocolate commercial ‘Kare de Chocolat’ since March. Even if he decides to go independent, it may happen after he finishes these commitments,” says a source close to the TV station.

On April 10, “Arashi” announced the establishment of their own company, “Arashi Co., Ltd.” On April 19, they also announced that they had signed an agent contract with STARTO Entertainment. It seems that Sakurai played a central role in establishing the company.

“Since last fall, ‘Arashi’ and STARTO Entertainment have been in discussions multiple times. Matsumoto and Sakurai, in particular, were actively involved in the negotiations. The two were concerned about the rights to the group’s music and the operation of the fan club. It seems that ‘Arashi’ wanted to transfer these rights from STARTO Entertainment to ‘Arashi Co., Ltd.’,” explains another source close to the TV station.

With an agent contract in place, the relationship between “Arashi” and STARTO Entertainment will continue. However, there are likely some absolute conditions that the members will not compromise on, such as the appropriate management of the music copyrights.

“Arashi” will celebrate its 25th anniversary on November 3 this year. With the establishment of their company, agent contracts, and members pursuing independence, entertainment industry insiders speculate that further movements from all five members are possible in the future.

“Not only Sakurai but also Masaki Aiba (41) and Satoshi Ohno (43), who is currently on hiatus from entertainment activities, may potentially pursue independence from STARTO Entertainment. When announcing the establishment of the company, all five members expressed their strong desire to ‘be more proactive than ever before’ in their activities. In the future, individual activities may be pursued separately, with ‘Arashi Co., Ltd.’ taking the lead in group activities,” concludes the industry insider.

As their anniversary year unfolds, what decisions will the five members make?