Which STARTO Idol Gained Popularity After Marriage?

On January 3, Akito Kiriyama, a member of the seven-member group WEST. (formerly Johnny’s WEST), announced his marriage to former Japan women’s national volleyball team member Maiko Kano. Kano had already become unpopular among fans after her hint-dropping posts on social media were discovered following reports of her relationship in April 2023. As a result, many fans were disappointed by Kiriyama’s marriage. 

In recent years, the number of married celebrities from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (formerly Johnny & Associates) has been increasing. However, according to an entertainment writer,“There are also talents whose popularity has skyrocketed—quite the opposite of Kiriyama.”

Fans are wary of her as a hint-dropping woman

Kiriyama and Kano deepened their relationship after co-starring in the “World Cup Volleyball 2019” (broadcast on Fuji TV). Later, in April 2023, “Josei Seven” (Shogakukan) reported their serious relationship. However, opposition to their relationship grew among WEST. fans.

“The issue was that Kano had left photos and comments on social media that could easily be interpreted as hinting at their relationship.

Fans dug up Kano’s private photos and noticed similarities between the interior of her room—such as the sofa, walls, and curtains—and the photos Kiriyama had posted on his paid membership site. Perhaps they should have been more careful to avoid showing their furniture, but as a result, many fans saw Kano as the enemy,” said the same entertainment writer.

Additionally, on January 20, 2021, Kano posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she had been watching WEST.’s variety show “Papa Jani WEST,” which was airing at the time.

Using the show’s hashtag, she wrote, “The secondary audio commentary we did with Johnny’s WEST during the World Cup was so much fun. I want to listen to it again. Lol.” Since she was already dating Kiriyama at that time, fans who later discovered these posts expressed their discomfort.

However, on January 3 this year, Kiriyama officially married Kano after more than four years of dating. Since fans had been wary of Kano as a hint-dropping woman, Kiriyama faced a wave of criticism for marrying her.

“As a result, the impact became evident on WEST.’s YouTube channel. They launched their channel on August 10, 2022, and by December 2024, their subscriber count was close to reaching 1 million. On December 25, they even held a live stream to celebrate the milestone. Many fans had likely supported them to help reach this goal.

However, after Kiriyama’s marriage announcement, some fans were so shocked that they lost interest in watching their videos and started unsubscribing. Within just three to four days, around 30,000 subscribers had left. As of January 24, their subscriber count had dropped to 966,000,” the writer explained.

 

The Ideal Way for an Idol to Get Married

On the other hand, some STARTO idols who have gotten married have seen their reputations improve. The prime examples are NEWS’s Shigeaki Kato and Hey! Say! JUMP’s Daiki Arioka, both of whom tied the knot last year.

“Kato announced his marriage to a non-celebrity woman in March 2024. Since his wife is not in the public eye, her social media accounts have not been identified. Moreover, Kato himself has not shared any stories about his married life on the radio or elsewhere. His approach to personal topics remains unchanged, to the extent that people almost forget he is married.

Similarly, Arioka’s relationship with actress Mayu Matsuoka was first reported by Josei Seven in December 2018. However, neither party was involved in any public hints on social media. Even after they got married in June 2024, they have rarely mentioned each other publicly,” said a sports newspaper journalist.

As a result, social media has been filled with praise:

“Shigeaki Kato is the ideal example of how an idol should handle marriage.”

“The perfect post-marriage idol image belongs to Daiki Arioka and Shigeaki Kato.”

“Arioka still feels like a full-fledged idol even after getting married! It’s hard to believe he’s actually married. Shigeaki, too—his idol aura remains strong, and that’s seriously cool.”

Moving forward, Kiriyama and Kano may need to be extremely cautious about their media appearances, social media activity, and blog posts to avoid further upsetting fans.