Former Johnny’s President Julie’s 60th Birthday Bash Draws Crowd of Ex-Agency Talent, 5ch: “What a Star-Studded Lineup”

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The story

Shukan Bunshun has reported that a 60th birthday celebration for Juri Fujishima, former president of the ex-Johnny’s agency, was held on July 20 at an upscale restaurant in Roppongi, with numerous current and former STARTO ENTERTAINMENT talent turning out for the occasion. When Fujishima announced the agency’s dissolution in October 2023, she stated she would “focus solely on compensation and emotional support for the talent, and have no involvement in any other operations.” The agency itself told Bunshun that “the talent organized it as a surprise.” Reactions on 5ch were split between those who saw no issue with it as a private celebration and those questioning why someone who was supposed to have stepped back from management still has such close ties to the talent.

Shukan Bunshun’s reporting has revealed that a 60th birthday celebration for Juri Fujishima, former president of the ex-Johnny’s agency, was held on July 20 at an upscale restaurant in Roppongi, with talent from the former Johnny’s agency (now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT) turning out in force.

When Fujishima dissolved Johnny’s agency in October 2023, she declared, “Going forward, I will focus solely on compensation and emotional care for the talent, and will have no involvement in any other duties,” stepping back from talent management operations.

A star-studded lineup showed up to surprise her

Source: bunshun.jp / Original article here

What people said

17AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:11
There was a thread yesterday about "Johnny" having fun in Hawaii (referring to late founder Johnny Kitagawa)
18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:11
Nothing's changed, still a shitty sex-crime agency
20AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:13
Guess this is the lineup:
Masahiro Nakai
Tatsuya Yamaguchi
Sho Tanaka
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Taichi Kokubun
Goro Inagaki
Junnosuke Taguchi
Akira Akasaka
Tomohisa Yamashita
Kusama Richard Keita
73AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:43
Re: #20
Yeah, that really is a star-studded lineup lol
21AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:14
Who cares, they're paying for it out of their own pockets
24AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:15
He was spotted recently too, at a concert venue for one of the young Junior groups
25AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:15
Well, they go way back, so of course a lot of people would show up
30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:19
Rushed over to celebrate Juri Fujishima's 60th birthday
Didn't know Kokubun was doing that
Dead silent on the Kitagawa allegations though

Real stand-up guy (sarcastic)
32AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:21
That was quite a while back though
Maybe he's just a former employee by now?
33AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:21
Reporting on this like it's some kind of scandal seems off
34AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:21
Dunno which restaurant this was, but blabbing about customers to a reporter like that — wouldn't be surprised if they've got a bug planted under the table too

Speaking of which, a few years back there was that whole no-show controversy that got the talk shows buzzing —
how's the other Julie, Kenji Sawada, doing these days?
36AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:21
Oh good, so everyone hates Matsuoka too, glad it's not just me
37AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:22
I'm more curious about the list of TV networks, ad agencies, and industry people who are still connected to Julie
39AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:22
Guess the "Merry & Julie" name still carries some clout (Merry Fujishima and Julie ran the agency together)
42AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:24
Nothing wrong with voluntarily showing up to celebrate someone who looked out for you
43AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:24
Re: #1
Is the one further down about this?
M!LK wins Special Award at the 'MUSIC AWARD' but no members show up — the odd twist that ended up debunking 'fix' rumors, surprising fans
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/914816f7424c8f29af178fc89b5ea198ba242c75
44AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:26
Even after renaming it Smile-Up,
this person still holds 100% of the shares
92AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:55
Re: #44
Wild that a Japanese company just changes the agency's name and keeps using Johnny's talent like nothing happened
45AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:28
Re: #1
Is there actually a problem here?
Julie isn't a criminal or tied to organized crime or anything
53AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:31
Re: #45
Feels like even though she was president, she just dumped it all on Higashiyama — who's just a talent — and bailed
47AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:28
Technically the current agency operates on the premise that it's cut ties with the Kitagawa family, so even if it's framed as "the talent's own idea," having them throw her a company-adjacent celebration is a bit of an issue
48AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:29
Bunshun:
Julie's comeback
Reportedly furious, saying none of her agency's talent will appear on this year's Kohaku
49AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:29
What's wrong with that?
54AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:32
Re: #49
Nothing's wrong with it
Bunshun's just run out of material and is hunting for a new target to bash
51AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:30
Messed up organization as always
Why hasn't a company that sexually abused as many as 500 boys gone under?
52AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:31
They probably figured enough time had passed to hold it safely
Guess it took about two years for the public to forget
55AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:32
If Sakurai wasn't there, Julie's probably furious lol
56AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:33
The fact that the talent threw her a party shows she's genuinely well liked
65AnonymousSep 16, 2026 16:40
If she'd actually gone back into management that'd be a real problem, but this is just a heartwarming little story

Background and Points of Debate

Following the 2023 revelation of sexual abuse by agency founder Johnny Kitagawa, Juri Fujishima announced the dissolution of the agency that October, stating she would focus on compensation and support for the talent. The agency was renamed STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, with Hideaki Higashiyama taking over as the new president. Opinions on the thread split over how to reconcile Fujishima’s stated departure from management with the fact that so many former agency talent personally turned out for her private birthday celebration — some saw it as nothing more than an extension of personal relationships, while others suspected she still retains real influence behind the scenes. Note that Fujishima’s nickname “Julie” is also the stage name of singer Kenji Sawada, and some posts in the thread appear to have confused the two.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Agency admits “talent organized it as a surprise”] Former President Julie’s 60th Birthday Celebration at Upscale Roppongi Restaurant [Guest List Obtained] [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

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