It has been announced that
Nishikido Ryo will leave the popular boyband
KANJANI∞ and part ways with talent agency Johnny & Associates at the end of September.
In a message on the
official Johnny's website, it was stated that
Nishikido came to this decision while the members were each considering their next step,
following major shifts in the group's dynamic after the withdrawal of
Shibutani Subaru last year and
Yasuda Shouta's recent health problems. It was noted that he originally decided to leave at the end of this March, but the group decided
to hold off on the announcement until after
KANJANI∞'s 15th anniversary
Jugosai dome tour, which just ended on September 4th, because they wanted the fans to be able to enjoy the shows from the bottom of their hearts.
Nishikido joined Johnny & Associates in 1997, making his official debut as a member of the group
NEWS in 2004. In an unusual move for a Johnny's artist,
Nishikido also debuted as a member of
KANJANI∞ later that year and
was active with both groups until 2011, when he left
NEWS to focus exclusively on activities with
KANJANI∞ due to scheduling conflicts.
He was one of the group's lead vocalists, and he has had arguably the most accomplished acting career of any of the members of
KANJANI∞, starring in popular drama series such as "One Litre of Tears", "Last Friends" and "Orthros no Inu".
The remaining members of
KANJANI∞ will continue activities as a quintet. A live DVD and Blu-ray of
KANJANI∞'s final tour with
Nishikido, titled
Jugosai, will be released on October 30th.
