Ae! Group

Lore & Background

Ae! Group was formed with six members from the Kansai region, named by Johnny Kitagawa with the hope they would become an excellent group. Their name is read as 'ee group' (ええグループ), the Kansai dialect for 'good group.' On December 30, 2023, Starto Entertainment terminated the contract of member Taisei Fukumoto for violating compliance rules. The group's major debut was announced on March 16, 2024, during a concert at Kyocera Dome Osaka, having been informed half a year prior by agency COO Yoshihiko Inohara and Tadayoshi Okura. Leader Ken Kojima expressed frustration but committed to moving forward with the remaining five members. Ae! Group is the fifth Kansai-origin group to debut from the agency, after KinKi Kids, Super Eight, West, and Naniwa Danshi.

Reader's Guide

Ae! Group marks a significant milestone as the first group debut under Starto Entertainment following its establishment. Their debut single 'A-Beginning' and subsequent activities, including joining the Kamigata Boyz collaboration unit in September 2024, highlight their role in continuing the Kansai-origin idol tradition. The group's integration of band performances and skits echoes the style of their producer, Super Eight's You Yokoyama. However, their trajectory has been marked by member departures: Fukumoto in 2023 and Keita Richard Kusama in November 2025 after an arrest for indecent exposure, which led to the indefinite postponement of the film 'Mr. Osomatsu: Project Slackers.' Despite these challenges, the remaining quartet—Yoshinori Masakado, Seiya Suezawa, Ken Kojima, and Masaya Sano—continue activities, with Kusama remaining as an individual. Their legacy lies in navigating early success and controversy within the evolving Starto Entertainment landscape.

Did You Know?

• Ae! Group's name is the Kansai dialect for 'good group.'
• They are the fifth Kansai-origin group to debut from the agency, after KinKi Kids, Super Eight, West, and Naniwa Danshi.
• The group's debut was decided before the departure of member Taisei Fukumoto in December 2023.

Kansai Roots & Band Identity

Ae! Group was born out of the Kansai region, with all six original members hailing from that area. The group's formation was first made public on February 18, 2019, through Johnny's web platform. Johnny Kitagawa personally chose the name, envisioning the six as an outstanding unit. The name is read as "ee group," a warm Kansai-dialect expression meaning "good group," immediately grounding the act in the regional pride that defines the agency's western roster. Musically, the group carries a clear lineage from Super Eight, whose producer You Yokoyama also shapes Ae! Group's sound. Like their predecessors, they frequently perform as a live band rather than relying solely on backing tracks, with each member assigned an instrument—from Masakado's guitar and Sano's drums to Kojima's keyboard and the bass and saxophone roles once filled by Fukumoto and Kusama. Concerts go beyond pure performance, weaving in comedic skits that give shows a theatrical, variety-show energy. The group operates under Starto Entertainment and is signed to Universal Music Japan's UJ sub-label, positioning them within the agency's broader family of Kansai-origin acts.

Five Years to a Historic Debut

From their 2019 announcement to their official single release, Ae! Group endured an unusually long pre-debut period. The moment finally arrived on March 16, 2024, during their concert at Kyocera Dome Osaka, when the group revealed their major debut date of May 15, 2024. They had been told about the milestone roughly six months earlier by agency COO Yoshihiko Inohara and Tadayoshi Okura, the executive largely responsible for managing trainees in the Kansai region. The debut single, "A-Beginning," was issued under Universal Music Japan and marked a significant first: it was the very first group debut under the Starto Entertainment banner. In the broader Kansai lineage, Ae! Group became the fifth official group to debut after KinKi Kids, Super Eight, West, and Naniwa Danshi. To celebrate, the group staged a surprise fan event along Dotonbori's Tombori River walk in Osaka the evening before the release, turning the city's most iconic entertainment district into a personal celebration for their supporters.

Turbulence, Loss, and Moving Forward

Ae! Group's journey has been marked by painful disruptions. On December 30, 2023, Starto Entertainment terminated Taisei Fukumoto's contract due to a violation of company regulatory compliance. Group leader Ken Kojima voiced his frustration at the loss, expressing a wish that the group could somehow return to its original six-member configuration, yet he committed to pressing forward with the remaining five. Their debut had already been decided before Fukumoto's departure, so the group moved ahead regardless. A second, more public crisis struck on October 4, 2025, when member Richard Keita Kusama was arrested for indecent exposure. The incident immediately affected multiple programs he appeared in, including the group's own Fuji TV show, The Tetsuwan Dash, and their YouTube channel. Starto Entertainment issued a public apology. During the November 13 broadcast of their program, the four remaining members delivered an apology in their opening remarks. The Mr. Osomatsu sequel film was indefinitely postponed. On November 20, it was confirmed that Kusama would leave the group while continuing his career as a solo artist.

Expanding Beyond the Kansai Stage

Since their debut, Ae! Group has steadily broadened their creative footprint well beyond concert halls. In September 2024, they joined Kamigata Boyz, a collaboration unit uniting Starto Entertainment's Kansai-origin groups, contributing to the unit's second digital single "Sekai o Akaruku Terashimashou," released September 18. In the voice-acting world, Masaya Sano was cast as Youzen, a bounty hunter who has lost his divine power, in the Japanese-dubbed release of the animated film New Gods: Yang Jian, retitled "Youzen" for Japanese theaters on March 21, 2025. Toshiki Masuda voices Jinkou, a boy who stole divine power. The group's track "ROCK'NPOP," from their first album D.N.A, serves as the film's theme song. On the acting front, the group was announced in June 2025 for the live-action Mr. Osomatsu sequel, with Suezawa, Masakado, Sano, Kojima, and Kusama taking on five of the six brothers. In August 2025, they secured their first Kanto-region television program, Ae! Group no Q & Ae!, on Fuji Television, scheduled to air from October—a notable step beyond their traditional Kansai audience.

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