STARTO’s Kouhaku Comeback: Fans Mixed Despite NHK Offer Rejection

The possibility of STARTO members appearing on Kouhaku has emerged.

On October 16, NHK Chairman Nobuo Inaba held a regular press conference and announced that the broadcaster would resume the use of talents from the new company STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, which took over management from the former Johnny’s office (now SMILE-UP.). Since September of the previous year, after the former Johnny’s side acknowledged and apologized for the sexual abuse issues surrounding founder Johnny Kitagawa, NHK had refrained from using talents from the company.

At the regular press conference, Chairman Inaba explained that over the past year, he had been in regular dialogue with both SMILE and STARTO companies, and confirmed that “The efforts for victim compensation and recurrence prevention, as well as the separation of management between the two companies, have been steadily progressing and have been confirmed.” which led to the resumption of talent usage. Inaba stated, “It was not a decision made with the red-and-white song contest in mind.” but added that “It is possible to resume contracts based on the judgment of the production staff.” hinting at the possibility of appearances. Last year, at the 74th Annual Red and White Song Festival, due to the suspension of new talent usage, no artists from the former Johnny’s agency appeared for the first time in 44 years.

Four days after this announcement, on the 20th, NHK aired a special program titled Johnny Kitagawa: The Real Face of the Idol Empire to investigate the sexual abuse issues surrounding Johnny Kitagawa. The program strongly impressed upon viewers that Kitagawa’s late sister, Mary Kitagawa, was an accomplice in concealing the abuse through media manipulation.

However, while it was necessary to also investigate the media’s role as an accomplice in the cover-up, the failure to address NHK’s own responsibility left a sense of dissatisfaction. Given the way it was handled, it’s understandable that people might point out, “They just wanted to say that the talents themselves are innocent,” said a broadcasting official.

The number of Johnny’s groups appearing in the Kouhaku (Red and White Song Battle) was two until 2008, but after that, it steadily increased, reaching a peak of seven groups in 2015. In 2022, before the sexual abuse scandal was revealed, six groups from Johnny’s appeared.

“Last year, when no Johnny’s groups appeared, the male groups included domestic acts like ‘JO1’ and ‘BE:FIRST’, along with K-pop groups such as ‘Stray Kids’ and ‘SEVENTEEN’. This year, the two domestic groups are expected to remain, while the K-pop groups may change, with around two K-pop groups likely to appear. Furthermore, the members of ‘King & Prince’—Shoyo Hirano (27), Yuta Jinguji (26), and Yuta Kishi (29)—who left Johnny’s and formed ‘Number_i’ under the new agency TOBE, are actively being promoted by NHK, raising the possibility of their debut appearance at the Red and White Song Battle.

Other singers from last year’s White Team, such as ‘SutoPuri’, Tatsuya Kita, ‘MAN WITH A MISSION’, ’10-FEET’, Yo Oizumi, ‘Elephant Kashimashi’, and Fumiya Fujii, are unlikely to appear this year. If new entrants are added, it’s expected that the number of STARTO talent in the lineup could reach a maximum of about three groups.” (Entertainment Reporter)

 

Do fans not want Kōhaku Uta Gassen participation?

It is said that among the talents under STARTO Entertainment, groups like “SixTONES,” “Snow Man,” and “Naniwa Danshi” are likely candidates for participation. For NHK, especially as Snow Man is becoming a nationally popular idol group, they would probably like them to appear. However, listening to the fans, it seems that not all STARTO talents necessarily want to participate in “Kōhaku Uta Gassen.”

“Last year, with no participation in the Red and White Song Battle and the cancellation of the usual Countdown Live (Kaukon), the talents from STARTO Entertainment held group-specific streaming events, which were actually well-received by fans. SnowMan, in particular, achieved a record-breaking 1.33 million simultaneous connections, setting a new all-time high in Japan. Furthermore, this year, there are talks of reviving Kaukon for the first time in two years.

Even if they were to perform at Kōhaku, fans would only get to see their group perform one or two songs, and after that, they would likely be cheering from behind someone else. As fans, they don’t necessarily want to see them on Kōhaku, so there are voices urging them to reject NHK’s offers, which had turned them down last year, and focus entirely on Kaukon. Until Kaukon starts, planning live-streaming shows like last year, where each group can engage with fans, would likely be the most ‘fan-first’ approach,” (same source).

An article published on the web version of Josei Jishin on October 23 quotes a source saying, “It is highly likely that Snow Man will decline any offers they receive.” It seems that NHK and STARTO Entertainment will have to continue discussions, but it remains to be seen how it will all unfold.