Who Is STARTO’s New President? Actor Division’s Revealed Episode Draws Admiration

Akutare, the nickname for a group formed by members of the acting division belonging to STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, held a live broadcast on X (formerly Twitter) on October 18. During the stream, they mentioned Katsuaki Suzuki, who became the company’s CEO in late June. Fans were delighted to hear stories about the new president—details that are usually not shared publicly.

The new president’s personality revealed during the livestream

Five actors who graduated from the Junior division and now mainly work on stage productions—Sho Takada (32), Daichi Imae (30), Kota Matsumoto (36), Kensho Tomioka (33), and Yuki Nozawa (32)—held a livestream.

While discussing their work and recent activities, Takada shared that STARTO’s CEO, Katsuaki Suzuki, came to see the stage play “BS Fuji presents VOICE Act: A 21-Year-Old’s Voyage ~ A Life Notebook for the Future” (performed October 7–13), which starred Yudai Tatsumi (38) of 4U, with Takada also appearing.

Suzuki became STARTO’s CEO on June 27, replacing Jun Fukuda. It was Takada’s first time meeting him, and after the performance he greeted him with “Nice to meet you,” to which Suzuki replied, “The stage was really good,” praising his performance. He then suddenly asked, “Takada-kun, what about you? You want to sing and dance, right?”

“Takada originally debuted as a child actor and even appeared in the Shiki Theatre Company’s musical The Lion Kingbefore joining the former Johnny’s office. After entering in 2007, he worked as a backup dancer for seniors during his Junior years while steadily taking solo acting jobs.

As a result, on April 22, 2021, he received his own official webpage and graduated from the Junior division. He has been known more as an actor type rather than someone who pushes singing or dancing as his strengths” (entertainment writer)

Surprised by Suzuki’s sudden question, Takada responded with, “Me?” and instinctively answered, “Yes, that’s right,” even though he wasn’t sure why Suzuki thought so. He wondered whether Suzuki had sensed something from his performance in A 21-Year-Old’s Voyage or what made him think Takada wanted to sing and dance.

As they parted, Suzuki reminded him again, “Takada-kun, you should definitely sing and dance.” Takada admitted, “It started to feel scary.” Apparently, Suzuki’s boldness startled him. Still, Takada later added, “I didn’t expect someone to say that the very first time we met, so I was honestly kind of happy,” and concluded, “He’s really a very nice person,” offering a warm follow-up.

The new president had been shrouded in mystery

The members also shared that President Suzuki had attended other stage performances, including those featuring Imae. They recalled their impressions of meeting him: “He has a very sharp, polished presence” (Takada), “He told me, ‘You have a great smile’” (Imae), and other anecdotes.

“According to Matsumoto, President Suzuki also came to see his own starring stage play Yonigeya Honpo (performed October 8–13). On stage, Matsumoto played a serious role, but during the curtain call he flashed a bright smile. President Suzuki told him, ‘When I saw that scene—your smile was so good, it made me forget everything!’

Hearing this, those around him panicked and said, ‘Isn’t that kind of bad?’ ‘Let’s stop talking about the president.’ But Matsumoto himself said, ‘I was so, so happy,’ and praised him, saying, ‘He’s a really good person—truly wonderful.’” (same source)

Former CEO Fukuda had a striking presence with his trademark blonde hair and made several media appearances after assuming the presidency.

On the other hand, although President Suzuki’s profile is published on STARTO’s official website—so his background is known—he had not, as of late October, appeared in media with his face shown the way Fukuda had. Thus his personal image remained something of a mystery.

In the midst of that, stories about President Suzuki emerged through the talents themselves, and fans on social media reacted positively:

〈After watching the livestream, my opinion of the new president went up, and I felt like Takada should “go ahead and sing and dance.”〉
〈A president who tells Takada, “You should sing and dance,” has good instincts.〉
〈A new president who says, “Takada-kun, you want to sing and dance, right?” — I can support that.〉
〈I felt that the new president might be someone who even sees things from a fan’s perspective — someone we can trust.〉

Perhaps encouraged by the president’s comment, Takada posted on X on October 17, “I want to become a musical actor.” With President Suzuki now at the top, fans are eager to see how the members of Akutare will develop and thrive from here.