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The story
On 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+), a report from Owarai Natalie sparked discussion after revealing that comedian Kazutoyo Koyabu will leave Yoshimoto Kogyo at the end of 2026 and shift to a partnership contract starting next January. Thread posters explained that under this arrangement, Yoshimoto only handles fielding outside work offers without actively pitching him for jobs, and Koyabu himself would cover travel and lodging costs for location shoots and appearances. Reactions were split: some pointed to past comedians who signed similar deals only to eventually leave the agency altogether, arguing “this kind of contract never lasts,” while others speculated it signals a shift toward focusing on acting work.
Kazutoyo Koyabu to Leave Yoshimoto Kogyo at End of 2026, Move to Partnership Contract in January – Owarai Natalie –
September 2, 2026, 2:17 PM
Owarai Natalie Editorial Team
Source: natalie.mu / Original article here
What people said
What thing?
Shibuya Nagisa's gonna be crushed (the NMB48 idol who appears in the show)
Basically, if a job offer comes in from outside, Yoshimoto still acts as the contact point, but they won't actively pitch or promote him for work. Put simply — a big chunk of his fee used to get skimmed by Yoshimoto, but from now on he only pays them a contact-handling fee, while travel and lodging costs for location shoots, dramas, and the like come out of his own pocket.
Didn't proofread that one, lol
So is that why it's 'Koyabu Sonic Last'?
Of course he's gonna come out
He's already in the upcoming 'Yatsuhaka-mura' (Village of Eight Gravestones) remake, too.
Back in the day he starred in a drama playing a super timid guy getting pushed around by Naoto Takenaka and Nana Katase — he was actually really good in it.
If he wants to act, he should just suck up to Matsumoto again and get him to make another movie so he can be cast in it. (Hitoshi Matsumoto, Yoshimoto's top star/director)
Outside of full in-house talent, it always seems to start like this and then quietly dissolve before you know it.
He scaled it back around the same time people like Honkon started taking over that lane
though he's probably still right-leaning underneath
That stuff pays easy money through lecture gigs and appearances, so I bet he'll actually lean into it more going forward
Pretty much everyone who signed this kind of deal early on ended up leaving, but Tomochika and Tamura Kenji are still on it
Seems like they'd let him do whatever he wants at this point
It's less that they flat-out won't let you do unprofitable stuff, more that profitable work just ends up taking priority
Koyabu doesn't seem like the type to make bank on streaming, so that doesn't really apply to him
Nagano said Yoshimoto talent are under such tight restrictions that it's hard to even invite them onto (YouTube) streams
Apparently even when they do get invited, there's stuff like a one-month cap on how long the archive can stay up, plus a bunch of other demands
Though honestly these days you never know what'll blow up into a controversy, so pulling the archive fast is probably the smart move anyway
That was actually in a web news article last month
Funny how people won't trust old media but swallow web news whole
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Thread posters explained that under Yoshimoto Kogyo’s partnership contract system, Yoshimoto only serves as a point of contact for outside job offers without actively pitching or promoting the talent, and travel and lodging costs are shouldered by the performer themselves. While some comedians who moved to this type of contract ended up leaving the agency entirely, others — like Tomochika and Tamura Kenji — have stayed on it for years, so a contract change alone doesn’t necessarily mean “going independent” or “falling out” with the agency. The news report alone doesn’t fully convey how the system actually works in practice, which makes it easy to misread. Koyabu is also a member of Shinkigeki NEXT, and how this contract change will affect his future involvement with the troupe isn’t yet clear from the current reporting.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Kazutoyo Koyabu to Leave Yoshimoto Kogyo at End of 2026, Move to Partnership Contract in January.”
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