Hiromitsu Kitayama Joins TOBE

It was announced today that ex-Kis-My-Ft2 member Hiromitsu Kitayama has joined Hideaki Takizawa's entertainment company TOBE. He has been added to a roster that now includes Ken Miyake (ex-V6), Sho Hirano and Yuta Jinguji (ex-King & Prince), IMP. (formerly known as Johnny’s Jr. group IMPACTors) and Ritsuki Ohigashi, a former Johnny’s Jr..

The announcement was made via a live stream on TOBE’s official YouTube channel on September 17th, a date that marked Kitayama’s 38th birthday. During the stream, Kitayama answered various questions about his current feelings and future plans.

When asked about whether he will hold concerts, he mentioned that he wants to, but it will depend not just on what he wants but whether fans are interested. He stated that some of the new challenges he wants to try out with TOBE include becoming more involved in creating music, such as composing and writing lyrics, traversing borders with international events and shows, particularly in Asia, and becoming the MC for a television program. He also noted that, as TOBE is holding auditions for new talents, he wants to share his experience with his kouhai by helping out with things like training and producing.

While Kitayama officially ended his 21-year tenure with Johnny & Associates on August 31st, he did not shy away from mentioning current and former talents from the agency. He noted that the suit he was wearing was a gift from Masahiro Nakai (ex-SMAP), and that he had recently gone out for Italian food with Kis-My-Ft2 members Toshiya Miyata and Yuta Tamamori and wanted to share a photo from that meeting, as Miyata had posted one on X earlier to wish him a happy birthday. 

To kick off his activities with TOBE, Kitayama has launched a new fan club. His new official website,  X (Twitter) and Instagram accounts were also unveiled.

The archive of the announcement live stream can be viewed below.