Japanese boy band WEST. announced on August 30 that two of its seven members, Ryusei Fujii (藤井流星) and Nozomu Kotaki (小瀧望), will be leaving the group. The news was posted on the group’s official website, marking one of the biggest lineup shakeups for the STARTO ENTERTAINMENT act since its 2014 debut.
According to the official statement, the decision followed internal discussions among the members about WEST.’s future direction. During those talks, Fujii and Kotaki reportedly expressed a wish to step away from WEST. and pursue activities in a new form. The remaining members deliberated over the request and ultimately decided to accept the departures out of respect for the two members’ wishes.
The exact date of Fujii and Kotaki’s formal exit has not been set, with the group saying further details will be announced once discussions with relevant parties are finalized. One immediate consequence has already been confirmed: the group’s scheduled appearance at “KAMIGATA EXPO PARK FES 2026,” set for October 31 and November 1 at Osaka’s Expo Commemoration Park, will not go ahead with the full seven-member lineup, and organizers will offer refunds to ticket holders.
Both Fujii and Kotaki will remain under contract with STARTO ENTERTAINMENT and continue their careers as individual talents within the agency. Meanwhile, the five members staying in WEST. — Daiki Shigeoka, Junta Nakama, Tomohiro Kamiyama, Ryota Yamasato, and Koji Shigeoka — will discuss the group’s future direction, with an announcement on WEST.’s next steps to follow once a policy is settled.
Who are Ryusei Fujii and Nozomu Kotaki?
WEST. is a seven-member idol group formed in 2014 under the Johnny’s & Associates banner (now reorganized as STARTO ENTERTAINMENT), known for combining music with comedy and variety-style performances, and for its strong fan base in the Kansai region.
Ryusei Fujii has built a career beyond the group as an actor, appearing in film and television dramas, and is widely recognized as one of WEST.’s central visual and dramatic talents. Nozomu Kotaki is likewise known for his acting and variety-show work, frequently appearing on television and radio programs alongside his group activities. Both have used their idol-group platform as a launchpad into broader entertainment work, which the agency’s statement suggests will now continue on an individual basis.
Fans and industry watchers will be looking for further updates on both members’ upcoming projects, as well as on how the remaining five members plan to reshape WEST.’s activities going forward.
Author’s Comment
Ah, the classic agency press release: gentle, vague, and radiating "nothing to see here" energy, even when two members are walking out the door of a seven-person group. "They came to us wanting to try something new, and we respected that" is corporate-speak for what is, in idol-group terms, a genuinely massive rupture. I have zero interest in playing detective about why — the statement gives us nothing to work with, and I’m not in the business of inventing drama. What I will say is that STARTO’s insistence on keeping both men in-house tells you everything about how these agencies operate: even an exit gets managed like a lateral transfer. Japanese Twitter is already in its feelings about the Kamigata Expo refunds, which, fair, that’s the real gut punch for the fans who bought tickets. I’ll be watching what the remaining five decide to do with the WEST. name — that’s where the actual story is.
