Who’s Cashing In—and Who’s Fading Away? Japan’s Latest Celebrity and Athlete CM Fee Rankings
Latest Commercial Fee List: “The Prices of 125 People” [Part 2]
What are popular celebrities paid for annual commercial contracts?
Based on confidential data held by a senior executive at a major advertising agency, “FRIDAY” interviewed advertising industry insiders, including Executive A from a major agency, Executive B, a former head of a commercial casting company, and commercial planners. Comparing their information with the data they possessed, the publication compiled a latest commercial fee list for prominent athletes and entertainers.
The figures on the list represent benchmark amounts used as a starting point for negotiations—the market rate, so to speak—and can rise or fall depending on the client relationship and contractual conditions. The clear leader in the athlete category was Shohei Ohtani (32), whose annual commercial contract fee is said to be an astonishing ¥1.3 billion.
“The most important factor in determining an athlete’s advertising contract value is, first and foremost, the amount of media attention they receive. At a time when the weak yen and falling real wages have left many Japanese people feeling less confident, what they look for in athletes is success overseas. The media gives extensive coverage to Shohei Ohtani’s exploits as both a hitter and pitcher in Major League Baseball.” — Executive A
For actors and entertainers, the equivalent of an athlete’s media exposure is their activity in the entertainment industry.
In that respect, Haruka Ayase (41) is in a particularly strong position. She has appeared in three NHK historical dramas and served as a host of the “NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen” four times.
“Her clients include a lineup of major corporations, such as UNIQLO (Fast Retailing), Kirin Beer, Mazda, and Nippon Life. Her value temporarily declined after reports emerged of a romantic relationship with Jesse (30) of SixTONES, but it quickly returned to ¥80 million. She is a classic beauty who has remained almost entirely free of scandals, is known for being serious, and enjoys tremendous public appeal. Her reign is likely to continue for some time.” — Advertising analyst
Likewise, Shun Oguri (43) has joined the top tier with a fee of ¥80 million. He earned praise for his portrayal of the lead role, Hojo Yoshitoki, in the NHK historical drama “The 13 Lords of the Shogun,” and recently made a strong impression with his intense portrayal of Oda Nobunaga in the currently airing “Toyotomi Brothers!.”
“Recently, Oguri has seemed especially active in commercials, and it is said that this may be connected to the alleged affair involving Kei Tanaka (42). That is because Oguri is the president of Tristone Entertainment, the talent agency to which Tanaka belongs. It may be that he is working tirelessly in acting and advertising almost as a form of atonement for the trouble caused. Oguri had a long period of struggle before making it big, and considering that his commercial contract fees reportedly started at ¥15 million, he has certainly risen through the ranks.” — Executive A
A ¥5 million drop following the end of Arashi
While young leading actresses such as Suzu Hirose (28), Kanna Hashimoto (27), and Sairi Ito (32) are commanding high fees of ¥40 million to ¥60 million, Mei Nagano (26), who is of the same generation, has disappeared from the commercial market. The reason is the alleged affair with the aforementioned Kei Tanaka, but Executive B is blunt: “Given that she sparks backlash every time there is new reporting about her, I simply cannot recommend her to clients.”
“As far as I know, Nagano-san was an actress who was cute, but had a rather difficult personality. The fact that quite a few people in the advertising industry reportedly had a negative impression of her may also be a factor. Ryoko Yonekura (50) was not indicted, but the fact that she was referred to prosecutors on suspicion of drug possession is serious. If another scandal were to occur, we, as the parties responsible for the contract, could end up being saddled with the cleanup.
If a talent belongs to a major agency, the agency can provide some form of compensation, such as offering another actor of a similar caliber as a replacement. But with talent from a personal agency or a small agency, it can simply end with, ‘We don’t have the money, so we can’t pay the penalty.’ When a famous kabuki actor got into trouble, the advertising agency even covered the costs. Becky (42), who personally paid a ¥500 million penalty, is a rare case.”
Among talents from the former Johnny’s agency, Ren Nagase (27) of King & Prince secured a ¥10 million increase from the previous year following the positive reception to his acting in the TBS Sunday Theatre drama “Reboot.” Meanwhile, members of Arashi, including Sho Sakurai (44) and Kazunari Ninomiya (43), saw their fees fall by ¥5 million compared with the previous year. Executive A explains:
“Even during their hiatus, fans continued paying membership fees to the fan club, and approximately 490,000 people attended their final tour. But what people were supporting was Arashi as a collective entity, rather than the individual members. That is apparently how clients evaluated it.
After announcing his retirement, tennis player Kei Nishikori (36) saw his value drop by as much as ¥20 million. The end of Arashi’s activities had an impact comparable to an athlete’s retirement.”
High commercial contract fees are the reward earned only by those who can rigorously manage themselves and continue delivering outstanding performances at the forefront of their fields.
From the August 7 & 14, 2026, combined issue of “FRIDAY”
PHOTO： Kazuhiko Nakamura (Ayase, Nagasawa, Hirose, Yokohama, Oguri)