“My Favorite Idol Has a Child Without Me Even Knowing It…” Unexpected Fallout from WEST.’s W Marriage: “Controversial Past Hints”

The “hint-filled post” that sparked controversy

On August 9, Daiki Shigeoka (33) and Takahiro Hamada (37) of the seven-member group “WEST.”, both under “STARTO ENTERTAINMENT” (hereinafter “STARTO”), announced their respective marriages on STARTO’s official website.

Shigeoka even went so far as to reveal that he has a child, stating: “We would also like to announce that we have welcomed a new life into our family.The journey for this little life to overcome various challenges and be born safely was by no means a given—it was a precious one. We would appreciate your understanding regarding the timing of this announcement,” even revealing that he has a child. Fans are in a state of shock, saying, “My favorite idol became a father without me even knowing it.”

“WEST.”—the group to which Shigeoka and Hamada belong—made their CD debut in April 2014 with “Ee Janai Ka” (the group’s name at the time was “Johnny’s WEST”).In January 2025, following their 10th-anniversary year, Terufumi Kiriyama (36) married former women’s national volleyball team member Maiko Kano (38), and in October of the same year, Tomohiro Kamiyama (33) married a woman outside the entertainment industry.With these double weddings involving Shigeoka and Hamada, the group has become an unusual case within STARTO, Inc., with four of the seven members now married,” said a sports newspaper entertainment reporter.

It is reported that both Hamada and Shigeoka’s partners are women from the general public. Regarding Hamada, there was a scandal involving a woman in 2019.

“On his diary on a members-only site (updated June 8, 2019), Hamada posted a photo of stewed tomatoes along with a boastful caption saying, ‘I did it!!!’ and ‘Doesn’t this look delicious!!!’

However, it turned out that a female Instagram user had posted a similar photo before Hamada did.Suspicions arose that he might have been sharing a home-cooked meal prepared by his girlfriend with his fans… The woman had previously been making ‘hint-filled posts’ about Hamada, and the incident came to light because some fans had been closely monitoring her activity,” said an entertainment agency executive.

Although there was no evidence at that point of an intimate relationship between Hamada and the woman, in October of that same year, a close-up photo of a man who looked exactly like Hamada and a woman was leaked online. On the 19th of that month, “Bunshun Online” published an article stating that the man in the photo was Hamada himself and that the photo had been taken between March and April of that year.

The Aftermath of W’s Marriage

“There seem to have been other instances where a ‘mysterious woman’ was sensed around Hamada. WEST. performed at the music festival ‘METROCK 2024’ in ’24. During a live talk segment on ABEMA, Hamada shared an update on his life, saying, ‘I bought my first robot vacuum cleaner.’‘It has rollers. Dust and hair get caught in these rollers,’ he explained, revealing that he uses a toothpick to remove the debris.However, Hamada had short hair at the time. Some fans were abuzz, asking, “Would it really get tangled up that much with Hama-chan’s hair length?” and “Don’t robot vacuums only get tangled up with women’s hair?” (ibid.)

Meanwhile, regarding Shigeoka’s wife, some fans have pointed out online, “Isn’t she the singer-songwriter who had long been rumored to be dating him?” That woman stepped down from her role as a radio host this past March. She has already left her agency, so the description of her as an “ordinary woman” fits.In the wake of this marriage announcement, a steady stream of fans has been declaring on social media that they are “graduating” from being (Shigeoka’s) fans.

“Shigeoka is so secretive that even his fellow members are surprised. He’s long been described as having a ‘mysterious private life.’There are even anecdotes about him not revealing his home address even to his manager and boarding his shuttle bus at a location far from his home… Until now, fans have idolized Shigeoka for his ‘high level of professionalism as an idol,’ which is precisely why the shock of this marriage announcement was so great,” (ibid.)

Let’s hope the double marriage of these members doesn’t affect the group’s popularity or activities—