WEST. Faces an Existential Crisis as Ryusei Fujii and Nozomu Kotaki Leave—The Harsh Reality After Idol Marriage

Difficult to perform as seven members

The seven-member idol group “WEST.” is facing a crisis over its continued existence.

Popular members Ryusei Fujii (33) and Nozomu Kotaki (30) announced on August 30 that they would be leaving the group. The departures are reportedly connected to the surprise marriages of Daiki Shigeoka (34) and Takahiro Hamada (37), which were announced on August 9. Shigeoka also revealed that his first child had already been born.

STARTO ENTERTAINMENT openly reported on its official website:

“As we continued discussions regarding WEST.’s future activities, both Fujii and Kotaki expressed their desire to leave WEST. and pursue their activities in a new form.”

Following their requests, the agency explained:

“We continued discussions with the members while respecting their feelings, but ultimately decided to respect both of their wishes and accept their decision.”

The group had been scheduled to perform at “KAMIGATA EXPO PARK FES 2026,” to be held at Expo ’70 Commemorative Park in Osaka on October 31 and November 1. However, refunds are being offered because it will be difficult for “WEST.” to perform as seven members. An entertainment reporter for a sports newspaper says:

“’WEST.’ is a group precisely because it has seven members. They formed the group by making up for each other’s shortcomings, so the wording it will be difficult to perform as seven members is striking. It would seem that the differences in direction between the members who are leaving and those who are remaining are beyond repair.”

On social media, attention has also focused on “WEST.’s” appearance at the outdoor music festival “Summer Sonic” on August 14. As the members stood at the center of the stage, overlapping their fingers as they tried to come together as one, Kotaki did not appear to make any move to join the circle. He eventually joined after being pulled in by the other members, but his downcast expression became a major topic of discussion among fans.

“WEST.” had already seen its members begin getting married, starting with Akito Kiriyama (37), who married former Japanese national volleyball player Maiko Kano (38) in January last year, followed by Tomohiro Kamiyama (33), who tied the knot in October of the same year. With the marriages of Shigeoka and Hamada, four of the five members excluding the two who are set to leave will now be married.

The drop in drawing power that comes with marriage

Junta Nakama (38), the only unmarried member, was also reported to be dating former dancer Yui Hayashi, better known as the “Jamboree Sister,” in July last year, leading to speculation that marriage could be imminent.

Idols getting married—

In recent years, attitudes toward idols marrying have become more accepting, but for fans, it remains a major turning point.

“Age is also a factor. Once they reach their 40s, fans are somewhat more likely to think, ‘Well, I suppose it can’t be helped,’ and come to terms with it. Everyone in WEST. is still in their 30s, so it’s understandable that fans would be upset.” (A person involved in an information program)

Fan departures are unavoidable. With television and movies, there are co-stars involved, so it is difficult to get a sense of a decline in popularity. But at concerts and stage performances, the reality becomes painfully apparent. For example, former “Hey! Say! JUMP” member Yuto Nakajima (33) married actress Yuko Araki (32) in April this year. He appeared in the stage production Death of a Salesman from late June, but there were reportedly performances where empty seats were noticeable.

An entertainment-industry source told “FRIDAY Digital:”

“STARTO’s talents are highly valued because they can draw an audience to stage productions, but once they get married, their ability to attract crowds drops sharply. When that happens, they lose one of their advantages as idols, so their acting careers can’t continue in quite the same way as before. In Nakajima’s case, there were even people involved who complained, ‘I wish he had at least waited until after the stage production ended to announce his marriage.’ Shigeoka and Hamada are also going to find themselves in a different worldline from here on.”

The agency’s approach will also change.

In August, STARTO announced that the five-member junior group “KEY TO LIT” (Kiteretsu) would make its CD debut this winter. In addition, the four-member group fō~yū, whose members are all 39, is set to release a CD on November 11 through Imperial Records, a label under Teichiku Entertainment. A music-industry insider says:

“fō~yū has finally achieved its long-awaited CD debut after 15 years since its formation. To release a second single, they have to either surpass one million views on the music video for their debut song or sell 50,000 copies of the single. But the passion of fans who have waited 15 years is extraordinary, so they should achieve it in no time.”

In June, a new junior group called “Howzit” was formed, consisting of Nao Oriyama, Takuya Nishimura, Koki Kuroda, Kosei Hiyama, and Wataru Vasayegh. Despite not having debuted yet, they launched a solo live tour of 35 performances across three cities beginning August 8, rapidly building a fan base, particularly among younger audiences.

“The amazing thing about STARTO is that even if WEST. declines, there are countless possible replacements. With new talent continuing to emerge one after another, I don’t think the agency’s pushing power will be directed toward a WEST. made up largely of married members.” (The aforementioned entertainment-industry source)

Among fans, even the word disbandment has begun to be whispered. But what will happen next?

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