Behind the Scenes of timelesz’s Emergency Press Conference Following Shuto Inomata’s Firing: Why an Entertainment Agency Insider Praised It as “Meticulously Planned”

Distancing Themselves from Inomata

Regarding Shuto Inomata (25)—who was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a female acquaintance and later released—the members of timelesz held a press conference in Tokyo on October 1.

Regarding the content of the press conference, a source from an entertainment agency responsible for crisis management

“It was quite calculated,”

in an interview with this website.

The press conference was announced on the morning of October 1, the same day Inomata’s contract termination was made public. The conference was scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. While live television broadcasts are standard for this type of apology press conference, they were omitted this time due to the sensitive nature of the case.Looking at it another way, this meant there was no need to worry about unanticipated questions, and ample time was secured for editing.

At the press conference, Fuma Kikuchi (31), the group’s de facto leader, spoke on behalf of the group, saying

“We sincerely hope that the victims will be able to regain their peaceful daily lives as soon as possible,”

He expressed his concern, adding,

“To ensure that something like this never happens again, I intend to thoroughly address this matter with the other members. We take this very seriously,”

He offered an apology.

An official from an entertainment agency in charge of public relations and legal affairs cited three notable points in an interview with this website.

The first was that they distanced themselves from Inomata from start to finish.

After hearing the initial report of the incident, Kikuchi

“I made up my mind right then and there that we could never work together again,”

he stated firmly. It is reported that he has had absolutely no contact with Inomata since the incident, and

“If he has any words of apology, they should go to the victim first. We don’t need him to apologize to us,”

she said, distancing herself from him. According to the entertainment agency insider mentioned earlier,

“Not only fans but also commercial sponsors are closely watching this press conference. If they show even the slightest mercy here, it will cast doubt on the group’s ability to clean up its own act. Some people might think Kikuchi was cold for directing such harsh words at his former colleague, but that was the right thing to do.”

The second instance was when he was asked about the “Type-R” incident, which has been the target of online criticism.

The incident and “Type-R” are separate issues

Inomata joined the group through the “timelesz project” (commonly known as “Type-Ro”), an audition for new members, after being selected from the open recruitment pool that included Masaki Hashimoto (26) and Daiki Shinozuka (24).While some online comments have directed blame at Kikuchi and others for selecting Inomata, who had no experience in the junior system, Kikuchi stated:

“I believe it is only natural to receive criticism,”

He added,

“However, I view this as a completely separate issue from the recent incident,”

. He concluded by saying,

“For our part, we take this matter very seriously and deeply to heart. First and foremost, we must focus earnestly on the work at hand and demonstrate our sincerity through our actions,”

he concluded.

“Since the debate is heating up online, his clear statement that ‘the incident and Type-R are separate issues’ can be viewed as one perspective. A noncommittal response would only fuel further speculation. Hopefully, this will put a stop to the slander and defamation directed at the members…” (Same entertainment agency source)

Finally, there is the response from his agency, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT.

Before any criminal charges were filed, STARTO notified Inomata of the termination of his exclusive contract. Specifically,

“We determined that Inomata had committed a serious breach of his exclusive contract with our company, which constitutes grounds for termination as stipulated in the contract, and decided to terminate the contract at the board of directors meeting on September 29,”

—a phrasing that made it sound as if there were a “separate matter” at play. In any case, it was the agency that “cut ties” with Inomata, and Kikuchi and the other timelesz members agreed to that decision. This sequence of events is said to be crucial. A sports newspaper reporter covering the entertainment industry noted,

“It appears the agency went to great lengths to ensure criticism wouldn’t be directed at timelesz. If new information regarding Inomata emerges in the future, the agency will serve as the point of contact, and timelesz will not need to be involved.By clarifying where responsibility lies, I believe they’ve created an environment where the group can focus on their activities. Furthermore, by voluntarily deciding to terminate the contract before any criminal penalties were imposed, they were able to demonstrate their commitment to compliance to the outside world,”

The sequence of events—Inomata’s contract termination followed by a press conference—seemed to have been decided in a rush, but judging by the content,

“It was well-planned. I think they prepared meticulously,” (said the same sports newspaper reporter)

. Can timelesz, now a seven-member group, regain the public’s trust from here on out?

[YouTube] On FRIDAY TV’s “Entertainment Reporter Channel,” active entertainment reporters present “Behind the Scenes of timelesz’s ‘Tearful Apology Press Conference,’” explaining why the timelesz members decided to hold the press conference and delving into the inner thoughts of the conflicted Fuma Kikuchi.They also provide a thorough analysis of the “relationship” between Inomata—who infuriated fans—and the victim.