Shuto Inomata (猪俣周杜), a member of the eight-piece idol group timelesz, has been suspended from group activities following his arrest on suspicion of assault, talent agency STARTO ENTERTAINMENT announced on September 19.
According to a report from Natalie, Inomata was arrested around 10:30 p.m. on September 18 on suspicion of punching a woman in the face inside a car parked at a convenience store in Tokyo’s Koto Ward. STARTO ENTERTAINMENT said it is taking the seriousness of the situation gravely and has placed Inomata on indefinite suspension while the case is handled by authorities. The agency added that it will formally decide on further disciplinary action against him once the legal proceedings are finalized.
Who is Shuto Inomata?
Inomata previously performed as a member of the boy group 8iper before competing in the audition program “timelesz project,” which selected him as one of five new members added to timelesz in February 2025. His addition, alongside Takuto Teranishi, Yoshitaka Hara, Masaki Hashimoto, and Daiki Shinozuka, expanded the group from a three-member lineup to eight. The revamped lineup went on to release its first single, “Rock This Party.” Beyond music, Inomata has appeared in television dramas including “Papa to Oyaji no Uchi Gohan” and “Tokyo P.D.: Metropolitan Police Department Public Relations Division 2,” and has been a regular on the variety show “Nika Game.”
timelesz traces its roots back to September 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 rebranded as timelesz in April 2024 with three remaining members. The 2025 audition then expanded it to its current eight-member roster.
Author’s Comment
Well, this is a rough first year to be the new guy. Inomata joined timelesz through a very public nationwide audition just last year, and now he’s the first headline out of the group for all the wrong reasons. STARTO’s statement is the classic agency two-step here — suspend immediately, decide the actual punishment later, once the legal dust settles. That’s how it usually goes in this industry: idols are brand ambassadors as much as performers, and agencies move fast to protect the brand the moment a criminal case enters the picture. I’ll just say this — innocent until proven guilty applies to everyone, idols included, but STARTO clearly knows the sponsors are watching just as closely as the fans are.
