Former Johnny & Associates VP Hideaki Takizawa creates new talent company

TOKYO -- Hideaki Takizawa, a celebrity and former vice president of major Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc., announced on March 21 that he is launching a new company called Tobe (read as "to be").

Takizawa, the 40-year-old former singer who released his first CD as "Tackey" in the duo Tackey & Tsubasa in 2002, explained the move on Twitter's Spaces live audio streaming service. "In November of last year, I cleared my mind and, looking to the new year, have thought about a lot of things including what my role is," he said, adding that he "firmly decided to once again step into the entertainment life."

He continued, "Carrying everyone's hopes and my own resolve, I launched a new company that will recruit and produce new artists. In this new life, I am seeking those who will join me to make their dreams a reality. We are also counting on people who will support our brand-new company. Let's create a new era together."

Takizawa joined Tokyo's Johnny & Associates Inc. talent agency in 1995. He retired as an entertainer in 2018, and became the company's vice president the following year until leaving the company in 2022.

(Japanese original by Yuka Matsubara, Cultural News Department)