Taichi Kokubun’s Press Conference Refusal Signals Serious Trouble

They agreed on the view that “we can’t continue our activities under these circumstances.”

“There didn’t seem to be any other option.”

So says a source from a TV network.

On June 25, the former Johnny’s group TOKIO made a surprise announcement that they would disband.

This came just five days after member Taichi Kokubun (50) suspended his activities on June 20 due to multiple compliance violations, stepping down from regular appearances on shows like Nippon TV’s The! Tetsuwan! DASH!!

Following the discovery of these violations in connection with the program, Nippon TV President Hiroyuki Fukuda stated:

“It was behavior we felt was unacceptable.”

However, regarding the details of the case, he repeatedly said:

“Due to privacy concerns, I cannot comment here.”

An entertainment reporter from a sports newspaper said:

“The violations involved power harassment and sexual harassment. The latter was the decisive factor—it reportedly involved exchanges related to obscene photos. Since evidence remained, Kokubun had no way to deny it.”

As for the power harassment allegations, they were not recent; rather, they reportedly spanned over the past 10 years. He had made high-handed remarks to staff, and at times, even resorted to physical force. Yet a production company insider remarked:

“It’s like, ‘Why bring this up now?’ The industry’s atmosphere was different back then. It’s true Kokubun had a domineering streak, but most production settings were like that in those days.”

The decision to disband reportedly came after Masahiro Matsuoka (48) returned to Tokyo following a stage performance in the provinces and met with Shigeru Joshima (54), the president of TOKIO Corporation, to discuss the group’s future. According to someone familiar with the matter:

“As there was growing pressure for TOKIO Corporation to take responsibility, the two agreed that ‘we can’t continue our activities under these circumstances.’ It was Matsuoka who raised the idea of disbandment. Once the two had agreed on the decision, they informed Kokubun. He had no right to veto it.”

“What kind of compliance violation are we talking about?”

TOKIO, who debuted in 1994, saw member Tatsuya Yamaguchi (53) leave the group in 2018 following a scandal, and then Tomoya Nagase (46) also departed in March 2021. Even with members gone, the group name “TOKIO” was kept alive—but with Kokubun suspending his activities, the last thread holding it all together finally snapped.

“Because the specific details of the compliance violations weren’t disclosed, there were calls for Kokubun himself to hold a press conference. But frankly, he’s in no state to appear in public—he’s completely broken. Even people from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, who have an agent contract with him, can’t get in touch. I think part of the reason behind TOKIO’s disbandment was to spare Kokubun from any further suffering by avoiding pressure for a personal press appearance,”

said an entertainment industry insider.

Amid all this, on June 27, Masahiro Matsuoka—who serves as the PR representative for TOKIO Corporation—spoke to the media in a press gaggle. Regarding the compliance violation that Nippon TV refused to specify until the very end, he said:

“What kind of compliance violation are we even talking about? Neither Joshima nor I know.”

He explained that, due to privacy and confidentiality agreements, they had not been informed. As for Kokubun’s current condition, he revealed:

“He apologized in a voice I’ve never heard in 36 years of knowing him. I think he’s probably in a state like being at rock bottom.”

Now that Matsuoka has taken the group’s final responsibility by addressing the media and marking the disbandment—their greatest act of accountability—it is expected that the pursuit of Kokubun will gradually quiet down.

“TOKIO Corporation is also set to close down, so Kokubun has no place to return to. Apparently, he had already mentioned ‘retirement’ when the compliance violations first came to light, so he may have already come to terms with it,”

said the earlier TV network insider.

The curtain has come down on one of the most iconic groups of our time—and it’s a painfully quiet ending.