“WEST.” After the Departures of Ryusei Fujii and Nozomi Kotaki: Why Junta Nakama’s “I Didn’t Want to Give Up” Resonated with Fans

Shigeoka already has a child

The “split” within STARTO’s idol group “WEST.” continues to cast a shadow.

Popular members Ryusei Fujii (33) and Nozomu Kotaki (30) announced their departure from the group on August 30. This is believed to be linked to the surprise marriage of Daiki Shigeoka (34) and Takahiro Hamada (37), which was revealed on the 9th of the same month. Shigeoka also announced that his first child has already been born.

Within the group, Terufumi Kiriyama (37) tied the knot with former Japanese national volleyball team member Maiko Kano (38) last January. With Tomohiro Kamiyama (33) also getting married in October of the same year, four out of the seven members are now married. According to a sports newspaper reporter covering entertainment news:

“The final straw was that Shigeoka had become a father. Apparently, he didn’t even tell the other members until after the fact. Fujii and Kotaki reportedly began to question the group’s raison d’être as an idol group, and due to differences in direction, they requested to leave.”

This also had a major impact on fan sentiment. Most fans support the group as a whole rather than individual members. That dynamic was thrown into disarray by the succession of marriage announcements and the departure of Fujii and Kotaki. The aforementioned reporter said,

“said, ‘While the two who are leaving are receiving words of encouragement, the remaining five—especially Kiriyama, who kicked off the marriage trend, and Shigeoka, who is now a father—are facing harsh criticism.’”

said.

Among the remaining members, the only one receiving sympathy is Junta Nakama (38).

Nakama, too, was reported last July to be dating Yui Hayashi, a Disneyland dancer known as the “Jamboree Sister,” but…

Desperately trying to stop the two of them

“Although there are rumors in some circles that Nakama is on the verge of marriage, there’s no way he could make an ‘announcement of happiness’ at this point. If Nakama were to get married, all five members would be married. It seems his relationship with his girlfriend is going well, but I don’t think he’ll be able to make a move for a while,”

said a source close to a tabloid show.

WEST. originated from Kansai Johnny’s as “Johnny’s WEST.” At the New Year’s Eve countdown concert in 2013, the debut was announced for four members: Kiriyama, Nakama, Shigeoka, and Kotaki.However, the four members—unwilling to give up on debuting as a seven-member group—appealed directly to the late Johnny Kitagawa. Their efforts paid off when Kamiyama, Hamada, and Fujii joined the group, leading to their eventual debut.

Following the announcement of Fujii and Kotaki’s departure, the members opened up about their feelings on their members-only blog.

“We’re sorry,”

Shigeoka and Kiriyama apologized to the fans,

“Let’s all do our best,”

offered encouragement to the departing members, and

“I’ll miss them,”

as Kamiyama added, while Nakama alone

“To be completely honest, even now, I still feel so sad and distressed that I can’t quite come to terms with it. I didn’t want to give up on the idea of us staying together as seven members forever,”

offering a comment that stood out somewhat from the others. An entertainment industry insider familiar with the group’s situation spoke to our site.

“Nakama was one of the members who was adamant about debuting as a seven-member group and worked hard to persuade Mr. Johnny. Precisely because of that, his words—‘I didn’t want to give up on the choice to stay together as seven’—seem to have struck a chord with fans.Judging by his comments, it seems he was desperately trying to keep the two members from leaving until the very end. Fans, sensing Nakama’s emotional strain, have been expressing concern for his health.”

Nakama herself addressed the group’s current situation on the September 5 broadcast of “Seigi no Mikata” (ABC, Kansai local) and said:

“I’m sorry. Truly, everyone. I’m sorry for causing anxiety and worry to our fans, and for causing such a tremendous amount of trouble to everyone involved,”

MC Koji Higashino (59) then asked,

“If you have anything else to announce, please…”

to which Nakama replied

“I’ll definitely let you know,”

he promised.

As for WEST., the specter of “disbandment” still looms. Will Nakama be able to overcome this adversity?