Taiga Shigeoka (重岡大毅) and Takahiro Hamada (濵田崇裕), both members of the Japanese idol group WEST., announced on August 9 that they have each married a general (non-celebrity) woman. The announcements were posted at the same time through the official channels of their talent agency, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT.
According to Sports Hochi, it is the first time in roughly five years that two members from the same STARTO agency roster have announced marriages simultaneously. The last such case was in September 2021, when Arashi members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba revealed their marriages on the same day. Sports Hochi described the coordinated double announcement from Shigeoka and Hamada as “extremely rare,” even by the standards of Japan’s entertainment industry.
The news spread quickly online, with fans expressing surprise and excitement over the timing. Social media reactions cited by the report included comments such as “Double marriage, I can’t believe it!” as fans congratulated both members and speculated about how the pair coordinated their announcements.
Who Are Shigeoka and Hamada?
Taiga Shigeoka and Takahiro Hamada are members of WEST., a six-member group formed in 2014 out of the Kansai-based talent pool once affiliated with Johnny & Associates. The agency was restructured and renamed STARTO ENTERTAINMENT in 2023 following a sexual abuse scandal involving its late founder. WEST. is known in Japan for blending music activities with the Kansai region’s distinctive variety-show comedy style, and both Shigeoka and Hamada have built careers as television personalities beyond their work with the group.
Neither the report nor the agency’s statements disclosed further details about the two men’s respective spouses, in keeping with the industry’s usual practice of keeping newlyweds’ partners private when they are not public figures. With this announcement, WEST. becomes the latest STARTO-affiliated group to see members reach a major personal milestone following the high-profile Sakurai and Aiba announcements of 2021.
Author’s Comment
Two grooms, one press release — I’ll admit, I did a double-take. After years of the agency clawing its way back to a semblance of normal following its restructuring, a synchronized wedding announcement might be the most wholesome plot twist STARTO could have handed us. I don’t know how you get two idols to actually agree on a shared schedule, but whoever managed it deserves a raise. Fans losing their minds over "double marriage" at midnight is exactly the kind of chaos I live for. Congratulations to both grooms — and here’s hoping their new brides know what they just signed up for.
