Inohara Yoshihiko's interview by Chunichi Sports in response to his appointment as the president of Johnny's Island

Following the announcement of Takizawa Hideaki leaving his management positions in Johnny's Jimusho, it was revealed that Inohara Yoshihiko had taken over his position as the president of Johnny's Island from 26 Sep 2022. In this interview by Chunichi Sports, Inohara revealed the events that led to this decision and what he intends to do from now on.

* Takizawa had quit as an artiste in Sep 2018 when the duo "Takki & Tsubasa" disbanded and became the No.2 in command in Johnny's Jimusho. He later took on the position of president in Johnny's Island in Jan 2019 which focuses on the management of Johnny's Jrs. In mid Sep this year, he suddenly expressed his intention to resign but the reason for doing so was not revealed to the public. Despite attempts to change his mind, the agency respected his wishes in the end.

* Inohara was approached by the president Fujishima Julie Keiko to take on the president position in Johnny's Island. Although he usually doesn't get surprised easily, he was quite shocked when he first heard about the offer. As such, he didn't accept the offer on the spot but discussed this with his family members including his wife Seto Asaka. They were supportive of this idea so he took on the offer within the same day.

* Inohara had also met Takizawa directly for the handover but did not ask the latter about the reason of his resignation. He expressed his admiration for what Takizawa had been doing all these years. Although it seemed like Takizawa had some unfinished business by leaving now despite declaring that he was continuing the late Johnny-san's legacy, he assured Takizawa that they will continue his good work which Takizawa said that he felt confident that they will be able to do well going forward. Inohara also said that there are many talented staff members and artistes in the agency so he will tap on their strengths to help him manage the company.

* Unlike Takizawa who was a full-time manager, Inohara will still be continuing his activities as an artiste together with his management duties. He said that he is aware of how tough this may be but he is prepared for the challenge and plans to learn everything from scratch. He joked that he might even go to visit ARASHI members with cookies as a gift to ask for their help.

* Coincidentally, the announcement date of his appointment i.e. 1 Nov is also the debut & disband date of V6 thus marking a fresh start for Inohara.

Source: Chunichi Sports