Shuto Inomata, a member of the Japanese idol group timelesz, was released from custody on the afternoon of September 25, according to a report by Kyodo News. Inomata had been held at the Metropolitan Police Department’s Tokyo Bay Wangan Station since his arrest on September 19 on suspicion of assault.
Police allege that around 10:30 p.m. on September 18, Inomata struck a female acquaintance in the face inside a car parked at a convenience store in Tokyo’s Koto Ward. Following his release, the Metropolitan Police Department said it plans to continue investigating the case on a voluntary basis.
Inomata’s talent agency, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, announced on September 19 that he would be suspended from all activities for the time being. The agency has said it will formally decide and announce its own disciplinary action once authorities reach a conclusion in the case.
Who is Shuto Inomata?
Inomata previously performed as a member of the boy group 8iper before joining timelesz in February 2025 as one of five new members selected through the audition program “timelesz project -AUDITION-,” alongside Takuto Teranishi, Yoshitaka Hara, Masaki Hashimoto, and Daiki Shinozuka. The addition expanded timelesz to an eight-member lineup. Beyond music, Inomata has appeared in the dramas “Papa to Oyaji no Uchi Gohan” and “Tokyo P.D.: Keishicho Koho Nikagawa,” as well as the variety show “Nika Game.”
timelesz traces its roots back to 2011, when it debuted as the five-member group Sexy Zone. The lineup shifted over the years, including Marius Yo’s graduation in December 2022 and Kento Nakajima’s departure in March 2024, before the group was renamed timelesz in April 2024 with three remaining members. The addition of five new members through the 2025 audition process brought timelesz to its current eight-member configuration, which released the single “Rock this Party” as its first work together.
Author’s Comment
An idol gets arrested, gets suspended, and then just walks back out a few days later with the investigation still open. That’s how these things tend to unfold here, and I get why fans want a tidy verdict right now, but ‘voluntary investigation’ means exactly that: nothing is settled. I will say agencies love this ‘suspend now, decide the punishment later’ shuffle. It buys time and looks responsible while committing to absolutely nothing. Whatever comes of this, I’d rather it be decided by what actually happened in that parking lot than by how loud the internet gets in the meantime.
