King & Prince Audio Leak Sparks SixTONES Gossip Scandal

Around June 1st, a private audio recording, believed to be a conversation between Yuta Kishi, Yuta Jinguji, Sho Hirano (now Number_i), and King & Prince’s Kaito Takahashi, was leaked on X (formerly Twitter). The content of their discussion was raw and candid, something rarely heard on television shows, causing a huge stir among fans.

 

“The audio is about one minute long, and the voices of Kishi, Jinguji, Hirano, and Takahashi can be clearly heard. Since the first three left King & Prince on May 22 of last year, it is believed that the recording was made while they were still in the group.

In the recording, Kishi responds to questions from the other members about a website that streams adult videos. The conversation didn’t involve personal experiences with partners or sexual acts, but rather typical ‘boy talk’ that you might expect from young men.” (entertainment writer)

The leaked audio had minimal background noise, making the voices of Kishi and the others clear. As the audio and its transcript quickly spread on X, fans questioned why such private conversations had been leaked.

“The leaked audio of Kinpuri sounded like a cute conversation between boys. But, I feel sorry for Kishi.”
“The members are not at fault, but the person who leaked it is terrible. Kishi is the biggest victim.”
“It’s scary to think that someone close to them recorded this conversation. It must have been a staff member close to Kinpuri, right?”
“If it was a staff member who leaked the audio, they should be fired quickly.”

These reactions reflected anger and confusion, with many suspecting the involvement of surrounding staff or associates.

“As widely known, Kishi, Jinjuji, and Hirano left the former Johnny’s office (now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT) and transferred to TOBE, an entertainment agency led by Hideaki Takizawa. Kinpuri now operates with a duo comprising Takahashi and Nagase.

 

The recent audio appears to be from their time as a group of five. TOBE, where Kishi is now affiliated, updated their official site on the 2nd under the title ‘To Everyone Supporting Us,’ revealing multiple instances of defamation, fraud, and unauthorized ticket sales. They announced the establishment of guidelines for fans, leading to a decrease in accounts spreading the audio and transcripts.

However, there are also requests from fans on social media to ‘identify the person who recorded it,’ indicating the need for further measures in response.” (same source)

 

In addition, there was a leaked audio last October involving what appeared to be a conversation between SixTONES members Juri Tanaka and Taiga Kyomoto from Johnny’s former agency. They discussed their YouTube music video view counts and even vented frustrations about the shooting process on set.

If this audio is authentic, it suggests that, similar to Kinpuri, Tanaka and Kazama were sharing candid opinions that were not intended for public consumption. At one point in the conversation, Kazama expressed discomfort, saying, “It feels like A.B.C-Z, which is annoying,” to which Tanaka responded with understanding, saying, “Yeah.”

“When mentioning A.B.C-Z, they are a senior group to SixTONES. The comment ‘It feels like A.B.C-Z, which is annoying’ inevitably came across as negative, sparking controversy over whether they were indirectly dissing A.B.C-Z.

However, some fans interpreted Kazama’s statement as stemming from his pride in SixTONES, suggesting he didn’t want their group to be compared to others. This perspective was positively received by many.”(same source)

Like the previously mentioned Kinpuri audio, it’s likely that someone intentionally recorded this data. This suggests that the number of people who could have set up the recording equipment is limited.

 

STARTO ENTERTAINMENT officially launched on April 10th this year. If such incidents continue to occur, talents may lose their sense of security. As a result, no one wants the quality of their performances to decline. Measures are needed to ensure talents can focus on their activities with peace of mind.