Japan’s entertainment agency Johnny & Associates vice president Hideaki Takizawa resigns

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Johnny & Associates, Inc. building in Minato Ward, Tokyo

Johnny & Associates, Inc., Japan’s leading entertainment agency, announced Tuesday that its vice president left the company at the end of October. According to the agency, Hideaki Takizawa, 40, offered to resign from his position as vice president in mid-September.

Takizawa also served as the president of the agency’s group company Johnnys’ Island, Inc., which mainly trains young talent, but he stepped down from the post in September.

Yoshihiko Inohara is the group company’s new president. Inohara, 46, was a member of the group V6, which disbanded last year, and has acted in television dramas as well as appeared on variety shows. Inohara will continue his career as an actor and TV personality while carrying out his duties as the president of Johnnys’ Island.

Takizawa debuted in 2002 as part of the duo Tackey & Tsubasa. He appeared on TV and performed on stage until he retired from his entertainment activities at the end of 2018. He became vice president of Johnny & Associates in 2019 and had been focusing on nurturing young talent and producing concerts and stage performances.