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| Ninomiya Kazunari to Release First Book Dogma and Prejudice — A Raw, Photo-Free Dive into Life at 42 |
This one's all text, no photos — a full-on brain download straight from Nino himself. Think candid essays, musings on business, friendships, life post-40, and some surprisingly direct words about the industry he grew up in.
Structured around ten four-character idioms (yep, going full philosophical here), the book reflects a year of deep thought — and apparently, 100 questions answered from his own unique perspective.
📧 It All Started with a Simple Email
Turns out, the idea for the book came shortly after Ninomiya left Johnny & Associates in October 2023. An email landed from his long-time editor, Noroko Noro, and that was it — project go. “It wasn't like this grand plan,” he said in a recent media roundtable. “It just kind of… happened. Like, ‘Should we do this?’ and then we did.”
Timing-wise, it’s landing just as Arashi are gearing up for one last tour in 2026 before officially wrapping things up as a group. But Nino says the book wasn’t meant to coincide with that at all — it’s just his birthday gift to himself, really. “Feels like the group just randomly decided to restart, so the overlap’s just pure chance. From my end, I’m like ‘Oh, so we’re doing this again?’” he joked.
💬 “If I Could Meet Anyone, I’d Want Johnny to Apologise”
The book doesn’t hold back — especially not when it comes to Johnny Kitagawa, the late founder of Johnny & Associates. One of the most headline-grabbing bits is Ninomiya’s comment that, if he could meet anyone now, it would be Kitagawa — and he’d want an apology.
Not necessarily for the public scandals, he clarified, but because Kitagawa’s actions had such a knock-on effect that the agency collapsed — taking Ninomiya’s entire career path with it. “If none of that had happened, I might still be on that track. But he said nothing. I just… want him to say sorry,” Nino said. “I was always the type to speak my mind, even when he was alive. Not everyone’s like that.”
Would Kitagawa have apologised, if he were still around? “Maybe,” Nino mused. “I think the company had a kind of purity to it — weirdly — like it was built on people wanting to do good work. So I’d hope he would. I don’t want it as some big corporate statement. Just person to person, no titles.”
📚 It’s Raw, It’s Real, It’s Very Nino
In true Nino fashion, the book is both sharp and introspective. There’s business commentary, reflections on the way people relate to each other, and bits where he fully admits, “This might just be my own prejudice, but I think a lot of talents felt the same way.”
He doesn’t sugar-coat — but he also doesn’t sound bitter. Just honest, thoughtful, and at peace with putting it all out there.
For fans who’ve followed Nino from his fresh-faced idol days to his current post-Johnny chapter, this book isn’t just a birthday release — it’s a marker of how far he’s come, and how much he’s still willing to unpack.
📖 Dokudan to Henken at a Glance:
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Author: Ninomiya Kazunari (ARASHI)
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Release Date: 17 June 2025 (his 42nd birthday)
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Format: Text-only, no photos
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Themes: Four-character idioms, business, personal reflections, human relationships
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Backstory: Born from an email after his Johnny’s exit
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Key Quote: “I want Johnny to apologise — not because of the headlines, but for what it all led to.”