TV Insider In! STARTO’s New CEO Has Ties to Fuji — What’s the Real Goal?

They are nurturing juniors

Jun Azuma, the CEO (59) of the talent agency STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (hereafter referred to as STARTO), stepped down at the end of June.

The company was founded to take over talents previously managed by the now-defunct Johnny & Associates. Initially, there had been talk that Noriyuki Higashiyama (58) would become president, but backlash from those concerned that appointing someone from the old agency wouldn’t bring real change led to the decision to bring in an outsider—Azuma Fukuda.

Also, the president of Speedy Inc., Fukuda became known for reviving the career of actress Non (Rena Nounen) by signing her under an agent-style contract and expanding her activities overseas.

Using Non as an example, Fukuda had long spoken out against the harmful traditions long accepted in the entertainment industry—like forced pairings (barter), coercion, and favoritism—and pushed for reform. Naturally, expectations were high for his leadership in building momentum for the new agency.

Most of the former Johnny’s talents now under STARTO were already popular and had regular TV programs, so it was thought the company’s operations would run smoothly. However, one concern remained: the discovery and development of new talent.

It goes without saying that without a pipeline of fresh talent, a talent agency cannot survive. A senior executive at a major entertainment agency commented:

“It seems that some former Johnny’s staff are still around, but I doubt any of them possess the talent discovery and production skills of Johnny Kitagawa or Hideaki Takizawa.”

So, is the development of new talent actually underway? According to a sports newspaper reporter who used to cover Johnny’s:

“There are boys dancing in the background during performances by the agency’s main groups, so it seems the ‘Junior’ system is still in place.”

However, there’s been no word yet of a formal debut or presentation.

Fukuda had been credited in reports with promoting the use of social media among talents, strengthening measures against ticket reselling and online abuse, and contributing to the return of sponsors and some recovery in the agency’s image. But the same sports reporter noted:

“I’ve never heard of any significant rise in the agency’s performance under Fukuda’s leadership. I’d say the agency has been able to stay afloat thanks to the efforts of the former Johnny’s talents.”

Moreover, even among the talents themselves, voices of doubt have emerged.

Koichi Domoto candidly expressed his frustrations in an interview for the May 2024 issue of Nikkei Entertainment! when asked what he expected from then-CEO Fukuda:

“I wish he would come see more of the concerts and stage performances.”

This comment revealed that Fukuda had rarely shown up at on-site productions. Domoto also added a pointed remark:

“What I don’t want the new company to misunderstand is this: whether it’s KinKi Kids or any other artist, the legacy we’ve built was created under the previous agency—it absolutely does not belong to the new one.”

These remarks underscore his dissatisfaction and serve as a caution to the new leadership not to take credit for achievements rooted in the past.

Fukuda ultimately stepped down without winning the full trust of the talents or demonstrating clear leadership. The surprise didn’t end there—his successor turned out to be a former high-ranking executive from Fuji Television, a move that sent ripples through the entertainment industry.

Someone with strong influence over TV networks

Katsuaki Suzuki, who has become the second president, is a well-known figure in the industry, having held positions such as Director at Fuji Media Holdings, Executive Managing Director at Fuji Television, President and later Advisor at TV Nishinippon. He is also known for joining Fuji TV at the same time as Ryo Ohta, whose name came up in the “Masahiro Nakai issue.”

The timing of this appointment—and the fact that someone affiliated with Fuji TV would become the president of a talent agency connected to the former Johnny’s—unsurprisingly drew a wave of astonishment.

According to a former key network executive:

“It’s not unusual for someone to land a job at a talent agency through connections after retiring from a TV network. For instance, Hiroshi Yokozawa, a former general producer at Fuji TV, once became the head of Yoshimoto Kogyo’s Tokyo branch. But I’ve never heard of a case where a TV executive became the president or representative of an agency. Most talent agencies are run in a top-down style, often family-run, and even when there’s a leadership change, it typically involves a relative taking over. This is an extremely rare case. What’s more, Suzuki is too old for someone being brought in from the outside.”

Analyzing these personnel move further:

“With CMO Yoshihiko Inohara also stepping down, it’s clear there wasn’t a single viable in-house candidate for the presidency. While things might not be completely bleak, it certainly doesn’t look like STARTO is performing well. The quickest way to boost performance would be to partner with TV, so bringing in someone with strong ties to broadcasters was probably prioritized over choosing someone younger. Still, the question remains: Can a nearly 70-year-old newcomer successfully run a talent agency?”

In fact, the company has already appointed Masahiro Daikou—a former head of TV production at Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and director at ABC Radio—as head of STARTO’s Osaka branch. It seems the company is attempting to strengthen its ties with television networks.

However, according to a Fuji TV insider:

“Though the issue of collusion between TV stations and talent agencies has become more scrutinized, it’s not completely gone—but it has certainly decreased. Fuji TV, in particular, is trying to change. Even if a former bigwig from our company becomes a talent agency president, that doesn’t mean we’ll start showing favoritism.”

Similarly, an ABC representative commented curtly:

“Daikou-san was indeed known for having close ties with the old Johnny’s and had worked on programs with their talent. But our company has never bowed to or pandered to talent agencies, and that attitude won’t change going forward.”

So even with former bigwigs at the helm, forging deep connections with TV networks may not be as simple as it sounds.