“To have it end like this…” Former “WEST.” member Terufumi Kiriyama writes a “meaningful message” on Junta Nakama’s birthday

It’s not against the law

Former “WEST.” member Junta Nakama celebrated his 39th birthday on October 21. That same day, Nakama held a live stream on Instagram, where he spoke about his future plans and shared his feelings about “WEST.”

Meanwhile, former member Terufumi Kiriyama (37) left a cryptic comment on his blog, causing a stir among some fans.

“WEST.” made their CD debut in April 2014 as a seven-member group (under the name “Johnny’s WEST” at the time).In their personal lives, Kiriyama and Tomohiro Kamiyama (33) each got married in 2025, and on August 9 of this year, Daiki Shigeoka (34) and Takahiro Hamada (37) announced their marriages. Shigeoka also revealed that his first child had already been born.

On the 30th of that same month, the “unmarried members”—Ryusei Fujii (33) and Nozomu Kotaki (30)—made a surprise announcement that they were leaving the group.Their agency, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, announced that it was in discussions with the remaining five members regarding the future of “WEST.,” but the group officially disbanded on September 30.

The seven former members of “WEST.” began solo activities in October. Nakama, who turned 39 on the 21st, addressed fans during a birthday Instagram Live as follows:

“First of all, you’re all Jasmine. (Jasmine = the fan name for ‘WEST.’) That’s an unshakable fact, and I don’t think I need to hide it. After all, I’m part of WEST. too.‘Former,’ right? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying that at all. After all… right…? Yeah, it doesn’t break any laws (laughs). It’s just normal. We’ve simply chosen our own futures.”

To have it end like this…

“Just when it seemed they’d become an unusual idol group with four out of seven members married, the announcement of their disbandment following the departure of Fujii and Kotaki… the shocks just kept coming. It’s undeniable that this series of events has left them with a negative image, with rumors of ‘internal strife’ even surfacing.

“However, I think Nakama insisted that they hadn’t ‘broken any laws’ precisely because he didn’t want people to hold onto a negative impression of the group. He seemed concerned that ‘WEST.’ fans might be feeling uncomfortable,” said a sports newspaper entertainment reporter.

During an Instagram Live, Nakama touched on his future plans, saying, “No matter what, I want to keep singing and dancing.” Referring to activities other than solo work, he added , “I think everyone has their own hopes—like, ‘What if I teamed up with someone again?’”But he denied the possibility, stating, “Still, ‘WEST.’ is my foundation.For now, I want to do my best on my own,” he said, ruling out such possibilities.

“Nakama and Kiriyama have been like partners since their Kansai Juniors days, when they were part of the unit ‘B.A.D.’ Kiriyama celebrated Nakama’s birthday in a blog post on the members-only site FAMILY CLUB web (updated on the evening of the 21st).

Nakama, who learned of this through a comment on an Instagram Live, smiled and said, ‘I got an email yesterday,’ and ‘I was so happy.’ In his blog, Kiriyama also wrote to Nakama, ‘I hope the day comes when we can meet again. There’s no way we’re letting this end like this! Right, partner?’” (ibid.)

Regarding this remark by Kiriyama, some fans commented:

“The phrase ‘being forced to end like this’ really sticks in my throat.”
<“It’s the fans who want to say, ‘We won’t let it end like this!’ Didn’t they disband after discussing it? Does that mean ‘WEST.’ and ‘B.A.D.’ are separate entities?”>

Some people, regardless of the members’ own intentions, suspected that the group had been “forced to end,” while others interpreted it differently: “I don’t think he’s referring to any specific person or the agency,” or “The phrase ‘forced to end’ might be directed at the backlash or public reaction.”

Since he addressed Nakama as “Hey, partner?” in his blog, some viewed this as “a declaration of his determination to continue some kind of relationship with Nakama, with whom he’s shared both good times and bad since before their debut.”

After the group’s disbandment, the former “WEST.” members have each set out on their own paths. Perhaps someday, somewhere, their paths will cross again.