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The story
A Fuji TV report revealed that a company run by Southern All Stars member Kazuyuki Sekiguchi was found by the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau to have under-reported roughly ¥580 million in income following a tax audit. The report noted that the stock transactions in question were processed only on the books, with no actual money changing hands, and attention focused on the sheer size of the amount already said to have been paid. On 5ch, discussion centered on the view that this looks less like tax avoidance and more like outright tax evasion, alongside surprise that a member who doesn’t write the band’s lyrics or music could be earning this much — with the conversation spreading into speculation about just how much frontman Keisuke Kuwata himself must make.
Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau flags over ¥580 million in under-reported income at company run by Southern All Stars’ Kazuyuki Sekiguchi | FNN Fuji TV
Sunday, October 4, 2026, 5:00 AM
It has been learned that a company run by Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, a member of the nationally beloved rock band Southern All Stars, underwent a tax audit and was flagged by the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau for approximately ¥580 million in under-reported income.
Source: fnn.jp / Original article here
What people said
Sounds like a tax advisor's "tax-saving" advice, huh.
This isn't tax avoidance, it's straight-up tax evasion.
The risk if you get caught is low but the payoff is huge, so people keep trying to pull it off.
He doesn't even write the lyrics or music and still pulls this in?
It says it's a music licensing/sales company though.
This guy did the music for Momotetsu (the "Momotaro Dentetsu" board game series), didn't he?
Sekiguchi's rights situation is such a mess that they can't even release the Momotaro Densetsu/Momotetsu soundtracks.
How much is this guy even making lol
Meanwhile everyone out there cheering for this rich celebrity is making a few million yen a year, tops.
Their whole job is coaching clients on schemes that skirt right up to the legal line.
Admitting a mistake would mean admitting defeat.
First time I've ever heard that name in my life. Stop starting name-recognition threads for some minor celebrity.
So lame.
Yeah, normally that'd be the case.
Then again, 80% of people only know Kuwata and his wife from that band anyway lol
Same with Anzen Chitai — probably 80% of people only know Koji Tamaki.
how much would it take?
And this is just from his side business.
His main income must be even bigger.
Someone at Kuwata's level is probably pulling in something like ¥10 billion.
This isn't under-reporting, it's tax evasion.
Actually, isn't this just fraud?
Yeah, it does feel like malicious tax evasion.
Why did it end with just a correction instead of prosecution?
Is it because he's famous?
If an ordinary person did the same thing, it feels serious enough that they'd get arrested.
And it's not just Sekiguchi's company that benefited — the tax advisor's own firm would have gained too, right?
What kind of scheme was this exactly?
Even now, this is the first time I've ever heard the name "Sekiguchi," and I can't picture his face either.
Honestly, as long as you've got Kuwata and his wife, you don't need the other members.
Unless Sekiguchi is actually the one writing the lyrics and music, honestly Southern All Stars would work fine even if the other members got swapped out for completely different people, as long as Kuwata and his wife are there.
He's not some amateur running a one-man operation — he's even got a dedicated tax advisor, so "I didn't know" isn't going to fly.
He should leave the band.
If you're NOT a real fan, you'd know Kuwata and his wife, but you wouldn't know the faces or names of the other members.
Even now, this is the first time I've ever heard the name "Sekiguchi," and I can't picture his face either.
Honestly, as long as you've got Kuwata and his wife, you don't need the other members.
Unless Sekiguchi is actually the one writing the lyrics and music, honestly Southern All Stars would work fine even if the other members got swapped out for completely different people, as long as Kuwata and his wife are there.
He's not some amateur running a one-man operation — he's even got a dedicated tax advisor, so "I didn't know" isn't going to fly.
He should leave the band.
Actually, if he was making that much, wouldn't something have seemed off along the way?
The stock keeps climbing like crazy even though it's a company in a totally unrelated line of business — using that as grounds for a loss deduction is exactly the kind of thing that looks suspicious once you start digging lol
・Hiroshi Sekiguchi
・Kazuyuki Sekiguchi
・Misao Sekiguchi
・
CCB had a Sekiguchi too, didn't they.
maybe everyone in Southern All Stars actually gets paid the same?
Must be insane.
He's been earning since the Showa era, after all.
He's on a totally different level of seniority than B'z or Mr. Children.
Background and Key Points of This Story
“Under-reported income” and “tax evasion” carry different legal weight. Depending on how clearly wrongdoing and intent can be proven, a National Tax Agency audit can end simply with a finding of under-reported income and a demand for back taxes, or it can escalate into a criminal tax evasion case referred to prosecutors. What’s been reported here is the former — this has not become a criminal case. On the thread, some pointed to the article’s description of stock transactions being processed only on paper with no actual money changing hands as grounds for suspecting malicious tax evasion, while others speculated he was let off lightly because he’s a celebrity. It’s worth noting that the actual severity of the situation can’t be judged from the article’s information alone. The thread also discussed a claim that songwriting and composing royalties go only to Keisuke Kuwata and Yuko Hara, with the remainder split five ways among the other members — but it should be noted this is unverified information from the thread itself, with no cited source.
*This article is composed of excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Geisokusoku+) thread “Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau flags over ¥580 million in under-reported income at company run by Southern All Stars’ Kazuyuki Sekiguchi.”
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