What’s Happening Now at “STARTO,” Which Has Been Rocked by a Series of Shocks?

The Shaky Idol Empire

“When the audition project ‘timelesz project’ began in ’24, critical opinions emerged within STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (hereinafter referred to as STARTO) stating, ‘If they debut without going through the traditional junior system, won’t they lack the awareness of being a “Johnny’s idol”?’In light of this incident, voices are now saying, ‘We told you so’” (a STARTO official).

A shockwave is rippling through the idol empire that has long dominated Japan’s entertainment industry.

On September 19, Shuto Inomata (25), a member of the idol group “timelesz,” was arrested on suspicion of assault. As is well known, five days later, on September 24, it was announced that “WEST.,” a senior group, would be disbanding.

“On September 18, Inomata was arrested for allegedly striking a female acquaintance inside a car parked in the lot of a convenience store in Koto Ward, Tokyo. The victim is a woman one year his senior who claims she was in a relationship with Inomata.Initially, his detention was prolonged because she kept changing her mind about whether or not to file a police report, but ultimately, an out-of-court settlement was reached, and Inomata was released on September 25,” said a reporter from the social affairs section of a national newspaper.

On the day of his arrest, STARTO promptly announced that Inomata would be suspending his activities. His exclusive contract was also terminated effective September 30.

“In the wake of this arrest, companies that had signed commercial contracts with Inomata were forced to take measures such as making videos private or deleting them. If liquidated damages are incurred, they could amount to several hundred million yen,” said an executive at a major talent agency.

On August 9, Daiki Shigeoka (34) and Takahiro Hamada (37) of “WEST.” jointly announced their marriages. Then, on the 30th of the same month, Ryusei Fujii (33) and Nozomi Kotaki (30) announced their departure from the group.While some viewed the dual marriages of Shigeoka and Hamada as the trigger for the group’s disbandment, a record label executive dismisses this notion.

“I’ve heard that discussions about disbanding had already been taking place as early as last year. The catalyst was Terufumi Kiriyama’s (37) marriage announcement in January 2025. At that time, Kiriyama closed the comment section on his social media accounts and was spotted enjoying his honeymoon without disguising himself, which led to the members facing intense backlash from fans.At that point, a rift had already emerged between Fujii and Kotaki—who wanted to prioritize the group’s activities—and the remaining five members, who also wanted to value their private lives. From last year through this year, agency staff gathered the members and tried to persuade them that ‘they shouldn’t disband,’ but the seven members were never able to see eye to eye.”

Faced with the empire’s crisis, perhaps the former “Empress” could no longer remain silent. It is reported that Keiko Julie Fujishima (60), who served as president and CEO of the former Johnny’s Associates, has become increasingly active.In 2023, in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal involving the late Johnny Kitagawa, Julie declared, “I will devote myself entirely to compensating the victims and will not be involved in any other business operations.”Although she did not participate in the management of STARTO, a programming executive at a major network revealed, “Around this past spring, Julie began getting involved in talent casting.”

“The three junior groups that STARTO and Ms. Julie are promoting as the next big stars are ‘KEY TO LIT,’ ‘ACEes,’ and ‘B&ZAI.’ Although they haven’t debuted yet, Ms. Julie called me and said,‘I’d like them to appear on such-and-such a show.’ Whether she contacted others besides me or not, there was a consensus within the station that ‘if it’s a group Julie is promoting, let’s have them appear.’”

Is Ms. Julie involved in the casting of STARTO’s talent? Does Inomata plan to return? What are the conditions for his return? STARTO responded to FRIDAY’s inquiry as follows:

“We will monitor how the situation develops, decide on Inomata’s disciplinary action, and make an announcement. It is not true that our company has sought to confirm Ms. Keiko Fujishima’s intentions regarding the casting of individual talents or groups.”

Noriyuki Higashiyama (60), who had been dedicated to compensation-related duties, stepped down as president of “SMILE−UP.” at the end of September. We must not commit the folly of reverting to old ways.