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The story
Actor Shin Sakagami’s remarks on the October 5 broadcast of Kansai TV/Fuji TV’s “Shunkan LIVE Toretate!” sparked discussion on 5ch after he questioned idol marriage bans, asking “Why can’t idols get married?” and “If you want to be a top idol, do you have to give up your human rights?” Most posts in the thread pointed out that marriage isn’t actually banned — it’s just that idols who marry tend to lose popularity — while others noted that pro athletes also face activity restrictions depending on their sport, arguing that “occupational restrictions aren’t unique to idols.” Still, some posts turned the question back on the idol business model itself, splitting the debate between “outright prohibition” and “commercial risk.”
Shin Sakagami: “Why can’t idols get married?” “If you want to be a top idol, do you have to give up your human rights?”
Actor and TV personality Shin Sakagami appears on today’s (the 5th) broadcast of Kansai TV/Fuji TV’s “Shunkan LIVE Toretate!” (weekdays, 1:50 PM).
The “No Holding Back! Sakagami & Tetsuo’s News Cut-Through” segment with journalist Tetsuo Suzuki airs for the first time in about a month.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
If you're fine with losing popularity, go ahead and get married.
Nobody said it's forbidden.
You just lose popularity — if you still want to keep going after that, go for it.
If you want a long career, aim to become an actress instead.
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Yeah, pretty much?
If you don't like it, just don't become an idol.
Nobody's forcing you.
The problem is just not retiring gracefully after marriage, without cheating around or committing crimes.
He's been in showbiz for decades — how does he not get that?
Right, lol — they can't even write their own songs.
They're just a manufactured image for the adults behind the scenes to cash in on.
Once the devoted fans who were fooled snap back to reality after a dating scandal, the business is dead in the water.
a system for making easy money.
Nobody's forcing anyone.
Whoever wants to do it just does it on their own.
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Why make a stupid fuss about "human rights"?
If you don't like it, quit.
If you don't want to earn money, quit.
Pro athletes can't freely enjoy things like skiing either —
are they being forced to give up their human rights too?
She announced she's pregnant but apparently isn't married.
but has he lost all motivation?
There's no more location shooting, just lazy chit-chat the whole time now.
Fans drawn in by fauxmance marketing are bound to leave over romance scandals.
Though there are some who stay popular even after marrying.
It's the talent agencies enforcing an insider rule the entertainment industry made up just to squeeze money out of the fan "pigs," isn't it?
Is that why Timelesz has a 5-year rule or something?
Restrictions like that exist.
Banning marriage for life would be too much, but a 5-year ban seems fine.
Whether fans stay fans after the marriage is a separate issue.
People should understand that certain jobs come with restrictions.
It's not that marketing it is banned outright, it's just that something that doesn't sell isn't a viable business.
Even though he's friends with Yasushi Akimoto and has done AKB-related work, lol.
Though there are voice actors fans actually tell to hurry up and get married, lol.
Probably because at some point the industry decided to steer toward making money off the "idol" marketing angle, no?
They could just start their own idol group where marriage is totally fine.
But as long as they're stuck somewhere bound by that unwritten rule, it seems impossible…
Background and Key Points of the Debate
The “no dating/no marriage” rule for idols is usually not a legal regulation but a self-imposed restriction based on agency contracts and unwritten industry norms. Sakagami’s phrase “giving up your human rights” sparked discussion, but the majority view in the thread took a contract-based framing: nobody is forcing idols into this, and they’re free to quit if they don’t like it. Commenters pointed to pro baseball players being restricted from private activities like skiing or cycling even in the off-season, suggesting that “idols aren’t the only industry with occupational restrictions.” However, unlike other professions, idols’ popularity itself is their source of income, so a dating or marriage scandal tends to directly trigger fans leaving. Sakagami’s question highlighted the issue of how to interpret the difference between “formal prohibition” and “commercial self-restraint,” though the thread itself never reached a consensus.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Shin Sakagami: “Why can’t idols get married?” “If you want to be a top idol, do you have to give up your human rights?””
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