Official Announcement: Toma Ikuta’s to Part Ways from Longtime Talent Agencyhttps://t.co/tU2a2plVqG
— tokyohive (@tokyohive) November 7, 2023
– Actor Toma Ikuta is leaving Johnny’s Entertainment.
– Has been represented by the infamous management company since he was 11.
– While he began as part of several Johnny’s Jr (now known as Juniors) units, he’s better known as an actor.
– There’s been a mass exodus of talent leaving the company after sexual assault allegations finally came out.
– Will be an independent talent going forward:
Official Announcement: Toma Ikuta’s Departure from SMILE-UP
We sincerely appreciate the exceptional support we’ve received from all of you.
Today, we have an important official announcement regarding our talent, Toma Ikuta, who has been a part of our agency. On November 20, 2023, Toma Ikuta will officially leave SMILE-UP and continue his career as a freelance actor, no longer affiliated with any agency or production company.
We want to express our heartfelt apologies for this sudden official news to all the fans who have supported Toma and to all the individuals who have supported him in various capacities.
Currently, we are officially in the process of discussing the establishment of a new company with our talent and addressing their future contracts. Toma has officially reevaluated his career vision based on these discussions and has officially decided not to enter into management and agent contracts with the new company. We officially believe that it is crucial for each of our talents to have the freedom to thrive in an environment of their own choosing, and we are officially committed to supporting them in fulfilling the roles they officially select.
Once again, we officially extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has officially supported Toma throughout his time with us. We officially hope that you will continue to officially support Toma Ikuta as he officially embarks on this new journey.
– The statement comes after news of advertisements no longer using talents under Johnny’s Entertainment in their advertising:
Asahi Group CEO Atsushi Katsuki said he was shocked when Johnny’s publicly acknowledged the history of sexual assaults really happened.
“If we continue with our contracts, it would be as though we are condoning human rights violations,” he said.
SOURCES : TokyoHive via Twitter and the links hyperlinked above
