Independent Talents Losing Ground as More Return to Major Agencies Amid Industry Shift

After all, it is safer to belong to a major agency.

Ryoki Miyama (26) of BE:FIRST has announced a temporary suspension of his group activities and his independence from the agency he belonged to as an actor.

“This was triggered by a report in Shukan Bunshun about a ‘100 million yen marriage scam suspicion’ involving popular YouTuber R-chan (28). He says he’s going independent, but in reality, it’s more like a dismissal. R-chan has hinted at legal action in response to Ryoki’s confessional apology, and it looks like things will get messy. It’s probably only a matter of time before he officially leaves the group,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Since 2019, when the former Johnny’s agency was cautioned by the Fair Trade Commission for allegedly pressuring broadcasters over appearances by former SMAP members, the number of celebrities going independent has increased. However, due to a recent string of scandals involving celebrities, there’s now a trend of returning to major agencies.

“In August last year, Fuwa-chan (31) went on hiatus after verbally abusing Yasuko (26). In January, Masahiro Nakai (52) retired following sexual misconduct reports. In April, Ryoko Hirosue (44) suspended activities after a traffic accident. All three were under personal management offices, and since they didn’t have the capacity to pay compensation for scrapped programs or reshot films, production companies had to absorb the losses. After seeing such cases, it’s understandable that people are now wary of using talents managed by small agencies,” said a TV production director.

A key network producer noted, 

“There aren’t many advantages to using talent from personal agencies unless they’re backed by very capable staff. Mistakes like double-bookings or overlapping show appearances are more likely. The only real benefits are not having to deal with barter deals and faster response times to appearance offers.”

A senior official at a talent agency revealed that many actors who continue to be successful after going independent are actually partnered with major agencies.

“Only a handful of talents get work based solely on name value without needing sales pitches. Even if they leave on good terms, producers tend to hesitate: ‘Are they difficult? Are they hiding trouble?’ Miki Mizuno (50), for example, saw her work drop sharply after leaving a major agency but made a comeback after forming a partnership with a subsidiary of her old agency. Most auditions require agency affiliation, and when trouble arises, having a major firm as backup is like insurance.”

Being with a major agency also helps with comebacks after scandals.

“If the agency has other top earners, they can afford to let someone take a break. They can carefully plan a return. Erika Karata (27), who returned through streaming projects and films after a period of reflection, might have had to resort to risqué work like nude roles if she were with a minor or personal agency. I think fewer celebrities will choose to go fully independent from now on,” the agency executive added.

In this era where a single scandal can mean instant cancellation, unless a celebrity is exceptionally clean and talented, both the individual and those hiring them feel safer with the backing of a major agency

From the June 27/July 4, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”