Former TOKIO member Yamaguchi Tatsuya announced the establishment of his company Yamaguchi Tatsuya Inc. as reported in the media on 24 Mar 2023. The company's Twitter page has also been launched. According to the official website, the website went live on 19 Mar while the Twitter page was set up on 24 Mar 2023.
In case you are thinking that he's making a comeback to showbiz, that doesn't seem to be the case as his company will be involved in the following businesses:
* Public speaking events targeted at various types of addicts
* Crisis management seminars for companies
* Adviser on SDG activities
* And others...
The mission statement also suggests that the company won't be involved in any entertainment-related activities:
"Utilizing my own experience gained to date for public speaking activities targeted at those suffering from or affected by alcoholism and all other addictions, in addition to organising crisis management seminars for companies"
It was also revealed on the profile page that Yamaguchi had acquired the following certifications from ASK (non-profit organisation aimed at preventing alcohol & other addiction-related problems. The A in ASK stands for alcohol, the S for citizen, and the K for association in Japanese.) and JADP (Japan Ability Development Promotion Association) last year:
March 2022: ASK - Instructor for the prevention of drink driving
June 2022: JADP - Mental and psychology counsellor
October 2022: Advisor for the prevention and prevention of addictions
There is also a section which lists the activities related to alcoholism prevention and treatment that he had been involved in since January 2021.
In response to this move, Yamaguchi's elder brother released a comment to say that his younger brother had talked about wanting to help both the addicts and the people around them who are suffering as a result. Yamaguchi's ex-wife Takasawa Yuko posted about his company with the caption "We're so proud of you" while his elder son Shotaro who is currently an idol, posted an Instagram story to congratulate his father.
Here is a translation of Yamaguchi's story as posted on his company's website about his fight against alcoholism:
"I had been told by my doctor that I won't be able to recover fully from my alcoholism.
As such, I have decided that I need to deal with this issue on a continual basis for the rest of my life.
There is only one way to overcome this illness and that is, never to drink another drop of alcohol again.
With regard to the incident and accident I caused in 2018 and 2020, I am very sorry for what I did and would like to offer my apologies again.
At present, I continue to reflect deeply on why I had done what I did and live each day cautioning myself against repeating my mistakes.
At that time, I was in a position where I had a strong social influence and yet did things which destroyed the trust of everyone who worked with and was associated with me and made many people unhappy as they came to know about my actions through the media.
No matter how much I apologise, the sins I committed can never disappear.
I can only face up to what I did and live my life going forward without making the same mistakes again.
Please allow me to apologise again for what happened."
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As a longtime TOKIO fan, what happened to TOKIO's music career as a result of what Yamaguchi Tatsuya did back then is something that is really hard to forgive and forget. There are a lot of "what ifs" that I think of whenever I see TOKIO on screen. What could TOKIO have done during their 25th anniversary year? Would they have stayed together as a band today? Would Nagase Tomoya have left if they could continue their music career?
Of course, looking at the TOKIO now, maybe the crisis back then can be seen in a more positive light:
* If Yamaguchi never got into trouble due to his alcoholism, he would never have taken action to solve this problem and could have continued sinking deeper into this bottomless pit while affecting the people around him adversely. Back then, even the members said that nobody could get Yamaguchi to realise that he had a problem with alcohol.
* Nagase is probably having a good time out there after leaving Johnny's and doing what he wants to.
* And of course, Leader, Taichi and Mabo would probably not have set up their company and do things now that would have been unimaginable back then.
I get that Yamaguchi has repeatedly apologised for what he did and he really wants to do something to contribute to society now with the experience he gained through the alcoholism treatment process. And it's good to see that he has taken the initiative to learn new things and be in a position to give professional advice.
However, as he puts it, this alcoholism issue is here to stay. I don't have any hard feelings against him now but still, I think action speaks louder than words. As such, I am supportive of his efforts but cautious at the same time. By having a company and being in the public eye again probably can help in making sure that the scrutiny will keep him on his toes rather than hiding away at one spot while struggling with his treatment. I hope that he will be able to regain control of his life and do something meaningful through his company in future. All the best!
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