STARTO Entertainment, the agency representing Japanese boy band Naniwa Danshi, announced on August 10 that it has identified a social media user responsible for repeated harassing comments made during one of the group’s Instagram livestreams, and is now pursuing legal action against them.
In a statement posted to its official legal account, @STARTO_legal, on X, the agency said that during a livestream hosted by Naniwa Danshi, a user “repeatedly posted comments denying the existence of a specific member.” To identify the person behind the account, STARTO filed a request for disclosure of sender information against Meta, Instagram’s parent company, with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
According to the agency, the court granted a disclosure order, and Meta subsequently handed over the user’s information. STARTO says it is now “pursuing legal responsibility” against the identified individual for the comments in question.
The agency closed its statement by reaffirming its stance on protecting its talent: “We will continue to take a firm stance against all rights violations, including slander, so that our contracted talent can focus on their entertainment activities without any of their rights being threatened.”
The announcement drew a wave of supportive replies from fans, with comments including “It’s clear because they included the group’s name, which should also work as a deterrent,” and “Thank you for protecting the talent.” Others asked the agency to keep sharing updates on future cases.
This is not STARTO’s first public update on anti-harassment efforts. On June 24, 2026, the agency similarly announced via the same account that it had been pursuing both civil and criminal legal action against online slander targeting its talent since 2024.
Who is Naniwa Danshi?
Naniwa Danshi is a seven-member Japanese boy band formerly affiliated with the Johnny’s talent agency system, now under STARTO Entertainment following the company’s 2023 rebrand. The group, whose name translates roughly to “Naniwa Boys” (a nod to Osaka’s historical name, Naniwa), officially debuted in 2021 and has become one of the agency’s most prominent acts, known for its music releases, television appearances, and members’ individual activities across variety shows and stage productions.
Author’s Comment
Ah yes, the timeless internet hobby of insisting your favorite group has fewer members than it actually does. I genuinely don’t understand the impulse, but I understand the outcome: STARTO went all the way to a federal court in California to unmask this person, which tells you the agency has decided the days of "it’s just the internet, let it go" are over. And honestly? Good. Japanese talent agencies have historically been slow to fight this stuff in public, so watching them post the receipts on X, group name and all, is a genuinely satisfying shift. The fans cheering them on in the replies aren’t wrong to feel protective — being a member of a group and getting told online that you don’t "count" is its own quiet cruelty. I just hope whoever this was has a very good lawyer, because they’re going to need one.
