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The story
The possibility has emerged that STARTO Entertainment (the new name for the former Johnny’s) will field zero acts at this year’s NHK Kohaku Song Contest. According to a Bunshun report, relations between the agency and NHK had been thawing since the founder’s sexual-abuse scandal broke in 2023 — but an incident this past June hardened the agency’s distrust of NHK, prompting it to ask record labels not to enter any of its talent. On 5channel’s Hello! Project board, the report sparked discussion about which up-and-coming groups might fill the vacated slots, and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering between agencies over Kohaku spots.
STARTO Entertainment May End Up with Zero Acts at “NHK Kohaku”
“Three years after the founder’s sexual-abuse scandal, relations between NHK and STARTO Entertainment had been heading toward a thaw. But since an incident in June, the agency has hardened its stance. At this rate, the number of STARTO groups appearing at Kohaku will be zero.”
Source: bunshun.jp / Original article here
What people said
MomoClo's Kohaku slot might get Domoto on stage too lol
Chizu and the Takizawa acts don't even have hit songs, so forcing them on would just be the same kind of favoritism NHK used to show Johnny's
Don't need anything besides EBiDAN and MONA-KING, honestly
What would Chizu even sing?
If anything, dropping Snow Man and SixTONES ("SnoSto") would let them book from a much wider pool
Snow Man will probably just do their own livestream or something anyway
Arashi's breakup was the last trump card they had
King & Prince and SixTONES ("Stones")
There's no group left with songs as good as Arashi's or SMAP's anyway
That's because when Johnny's vanished for a while, both viewers and TV stations finally realized "TV really does need Johnny's after all"
Sakamichi groups have been on for 10 years straight at this point, so clearly hit songs don't even matter
Nogizaka46 does have a huge fanbase, though
King & Prince (ex-Johnny's)
SixTONES (ex-Johnny's)
Number_i (Takizawa)
BE:FIRST (SKY-HI)
M!LK (Stardust)
&TEAM (HYBE)
What about LAPONE and LDH?
At this rate M!LK and EBiDAN could take two slots, Junretsu and MONA-KING another two — plenty of room to spare
Maybe they'll call up Ai Takahashi's cousin — he did a TRF cover, after all
Producer explains Kohaku's mission and selection criteria: "Showcasing achievements, carrying great songs into the future"
https://www.oricon.co.jp/confidence/special/52320/
The shock of Music Station's star producer's departure — Akina Nakamori's first appearance in 30 years and Fujii Kaze's trusted contributions
https://pinzuba.news/articles/-/17000?page=1
LDH hasn't appeared in years
LAPONE had JO1 on from 2022 through 2024, but — whether it was the online-gambling scandal or the two-timing thing, who knows — they got squeezed out by &TEAM and missed out last year
Here's the Bunshun article:
"The application window for this year's Kohaku ran from August 17 to September 4, and STARTO asked record labels not to enter any STARTO artists. Right now zero appearances are planned, but NHK is still negotiating with STARTO, hoping to get King & Prince, Aぇ! group, and others to perform."
Well, in reality it's the record labels paying off Suo to muscle their act into Kohaku
Since Suo retired, it's unclear how the power dynamics have shifted
JME's Takito doesn't have nearly the pull Suo did yet
Before the scandal they had like 5 groups on
Honestly, that tug-of-war between talent agencies is the real highlight of Kohaku
Back in the day I remember it was just SMAP and a barely-selling TOKIO on every single year
Yeah, exactly
KinKi Kids and KAT-TUN fans used to lose it over that all the time
Background and Key Points
Appearing on Kohaku isn’t something artists apply for directly — it’s their record label that submits the request to NHK, meaning the agency’s wishes shape things right from the entry stage. Old Johnny’s has been steadily scaling back its Kohaku presence since the founder’s sexual-abuse scandal broke in 2023, and some in the thread recalled around five groups appearing before the scandal. Cases like King & Prince — under an agency contract rather than signed directly to STARTO itself — complicate the picture, leaving it genuinely unclear how far the agency’s influence actually reaches. The thread split between critics saying the agency has been “shamelessly overexposed since TV welcomed it back” and defenders arguing “it’s still in demand because nothing else can replace it” — even opinions on old Johnny’s popularity itself didn’t line up. Note that the negotiation details covered here reflect the situation as of the Bunshun report; as always, the actual Kohaku lineup won’t be confirmed until the official announcement in December.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Hello! Project board) thread “Is STARTO Entertainment (former Johnny’s) Set for Zero Appearances at “NHK Kohaku”?.”
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