Kimutaku × Yamapi? Ex- and Former Johnny’s Collaborations Speeding Up

Voices both for and against the collaboration event were raised

It was announced on July 26 that SUPER EIGHT’s Yu Yokoyama (44) and former member Subaru Shibutani (43) will appear together in a joint-band event, Yu Yokoyama × Subaru Shibutani, to be held on September 20 and 21 at Kobe World Memorial Hall, and from October 3 to 5 at Tokyo Garden Theater.

The event will be in the form of a two-man live show. Yokoyama released a comment saying, “He is both a friend and a comrade-in-arms, and the vocalist I respect the most. I’m happy to be able to stand on the same stage and battle it out with Subaru Shibutani.” Shibutani also commented, “I’m so glad to have been invited to such a dream-like stage! Because it’s Yu Yokoyama and Subaru Shibutani, we’ll deliver the best event possible!”

Shibutani left the group at the end of 2018 and departed from the former Johnny’s agency. Since then, he has been active as a solo artist. Prior to the announcement of the joint event, he composed and participated as a vocalist in the track “Tsunagaru” included in Yokoyama’s solo album ROCK TO YOU, released in June.

“Reactions online to the two working together have honestly been mixed. Comments such as ‘In a situation where disbandment wouldn’t have been surprising, how do the other members who held things together for the sake of the eighters (SUPER EIGHT fans) feel?’ and ‘This just feels wrong’ were common, reflecting concern for the feelings of members other than Yokoyama. On the other hand, there were also voices saying, ‘It’s amazing that a project like this is even possible now.’” (Music industry insider)

And then, the momentum shifted

Under the old Johnny’s system—particularly while the late Johnny Kitagawa and his sister, the late Mary Kitagawa, were still alive—the media almost never covered the activities of so-called ex-Johnnys (former members who had left the agency), nor were they able to appear on terrestrial TV. Needless to say, appearing together with Johnny’s talents was unthinkable.

In September 2017, when former SMAP members Goro Inagaki (51), Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (51), and Shingo Katori (48) left the agency and launched Atarashii Chizu (New Map), they too were initially unable to appear on terrestrial TV. However, the three established a business model that didn’t depend on terrestrial appearances, instead making use of internet TV platforms such as ABEMA and social media—an area that the Johnny’s camp had yet to explore.

In July 2019, it came to light that the Japan Fair Trade Commission had issued a warning to the old Johnny’s agency on suspicion of violating antitrust law. The agency was suspected of having pressured TV stations not to let the Atarashii Chizu trio appear. That was when the tide began to shift. Gradually, the three started to appear more frequently on terrestrial TV. What changed things decisively was the exposure of the Johnny’s sexual abuse scandal in 2023, after the deaths of Johnny and Mary.

“As a result of that series of issues, the old Johnny’s agency was forced to change its name, and management of its talents was taken over by STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (STARTO, for short). Consequently, it became normal to see ex-Johnnys such as Atarashii Chizu, as well as TOBE acts like Number_i—made up of former King & Prince members Sho Hirano (28), Yuta Jinguji (27), and Yuta Kishi (29)—appearing together on television with STARTO talents,” says an entertainment reporter from a sports newspaper.

Even so, a jointly held event like the one between Yu Yokoyama and Subaru Shibutani is groundbreaking. There are even voices suggesting that collaborations between ex-Johnnys and STARTO talents will only accelerate from here.

Future collaborations to look forward to between ex-Johnnys and STARTO talents

“If hugely popular ex-Johnnys such as Tomohisa Yamashita (40) and Jin Akanishi (41) were to perform alongside talents from STARTO, it would inevitably become a hot topic. In the future, we can expect STARTO talents themselves to initiate solo collaborations. Takuya Kimura (52), who is active as a solo artist, already has ties with Yamashita, so a collaboration between them is highly anticipated,” says a record label insider.

In the documentary program 7 S.T.A.R.S. ~ 7 Answers: Atsuhiro Satō Connects to the Present of Hikaru Genji, which aired on WOWOW from January to July this year, Atsuhiro Satō (51), a STARTO talent, visited and held interviews with former members of Hikaru Genji such as Mikio Ōsawa (56). Commenting on this development, veteran entertainment journalist Kazuhiko Nida, who has long covered the old Johnny’s agency, explained:

“In the past, Mary Kitagawa was once asked about Katsuyuki Mori (51), a former SMAP member who switched careers to become a motorcycle racer. She replied, ‘There was never any such person as Mori!’ That’s how strong the agency’s influence was—it was said that leaving Johnny’s meant losing your place in the entertainment industry altogether. Naturally, sports papers and TV stations exercised self-restraint, avoiding coverage of ex-Johnnys. Sports papers went so far as to ensure that articles about Johnny’s talents and ex-Johnnys would never appear side by side, even on the same page.”

Now, however, the times have changed. At STARTO, in principle, talents are not under exclusive contracts but agent contracts. This has broadened their choices and allowed for greater autonomy.

“With this new system in place, projects like the one between Yu Yokoyama and Subaru Shibutani have become possible. Since former members of the same group know each other well, we may also see Yamashita collaborating with members of NEWS, or Akanishi working with his former KAT-TUN bandmates Yuichi Nakamaru (41) and Tatsuya Ueda (41). However, the major hurdle in such cases will likely be whether they can actually perform their group’s songs,” Nida notes.

Following in the footsteps of Yokoyama and Shibutani, further collaborations between STARTO talents and ex-Johnnys are eagerly awaited.

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