MENT Recording
MENT Recording is a Japanese record company and label established jointly by Johnny & Associates and Avex.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
MENT Recording is a Japanese recording company and record label established on January 11, 2022, through a joint venture between Avex Trax and Johnny & Associates. The company was created to manage and develop artists associated with the Avex side of the Johnny & Associates ecosystem, consolidating recording activities that had previously been handled through Avex Trax and related arrangements. Its name is explained as an acronym formed from “Music,” “Entertainment,” “Network,” and “Transmission,” while the word itself was selected for its ability to function naturally at the beginning or end of other terms. The label was formed against a distinctive background in Japanese popular music. Artists connected with Johnny & Associates had historically been assigned to different labels and internal business groupings. Some acts worked through private labels financed or organized by the agency, while others, including artists associated with Avex Trax, remained within the broader Avex structure. Internal management divisions and changes in personnel had reportedly made the creation of a dedicated joint label difficult in earlier years. The launch of MENT Recording reflected a later alignment between the relevant parties and gave several Avex-affiliated Johnny & Associates acts a common recording-company home. The company’s initial leadership included Julie Keiko Fujishima as representative director and president, with Avex-linked executive Shintaro Higuchi among the directors. Hideaki Takizawa, Maiko Shino, and Shinsuke Hashimoto were also identified as directors at the company’s formation. Takizawa left the board in October 2022 after departing Johnny & Associates. Fujishima resigned as representative director on May 30, 2024, after the restructuring that followed the sexual-abuse allegations involving Johnny Kitagawa and the subsequent closure of Johnny & Associates. On that date, Shintaro Higuchi and Maiko Shino became representative directors. Higuchi has held senior roles within Avex-related companies, while Shino is also listed among the company’s directors. MENT Recording’s affiliated artists have included former V6 members working as 20th Century and Ken Miyake, as well as Kis-My-Ft2, Busaiku, and Snow Man. Ken Miyake’s affiliation ended in May 2023. By 2025, Kis-My-Ft2 and Snow Man were identified as the label’s two principal groups. Snow Man in particular became a major commercial driver: the group’s releases were reported to approach or reach sales of roughly one million physical copies per release by 2024, although MENT Recording’s overall financial results are not publicly established in the available material. The label’s corporate position became less transparent after Johnny & Associates was scheduled to close in October 2023. Artists connected with the former agency were transferred to Starto Entertainment, while the precise post-restructuring status and ownership arrangements of MENT Recording were not fully disclosed in the reporting summarized by the reference material. The company nevertheless continued to be associated with major Starto-affiliated groups, notably Kis-My-Ft2 and Snow Man. MENT Recording also became a supporting member of the Recording Industry Association of Japan on March 1, although the available material does not specify the year in that statement. Its core business remains the recording, release, and label administration of Japanese popular-music acts.
History
MENT Recording was founded on January 11, 2022, as a jointly established recording company created by Avex Trax and Johnny & Associates. Its formation brought together Avex’s label and distribution capabilities with a group of artists historically connected to Johnny & Associates. The company name refers to four stated concepts—Music, Entertainment, Network, and Transmission—and was also chosen because “MENT” can work as a word element at either the beginning or end of other terms. The label emerged from a complicated history of artist management and label affiliation within Japanese male pop music. Johnny & Associates acts had often operated through private labels or through arrangements financed and coordinated by the agency. Artists linked to Avex Trax, however, were managed within a different commercial framework. Changes in agency personnel and earlier internal divisions were reported to have made it difficult to establish a dedicated private label for these artists. The eventual creation of MENT Recording represented a later commercial alignment between Avex and the Johnny & Associates network. At launch, the company was led by Julie Keiko Fujishima, who served as president and representative director. Its directors included Shintaro Higuchi, an executive with Avex-related companies, Hideaki Takizawa, Maiko Shino, and Shinsuke Hashimoto. Takizawa resigned from the board on October 31, 2022, after leaving Johnny & Associates. MENT Recording also became a supporting member of the Recording Industry Association of Japan on March 1, although the year attached to that membership event is not specified in the available reference text. The company’s artist roster included 20th Century, the group derived from V6; Kis-My-Ft2; Busaiku; Snow Man; and, for a period, Ken Miyake. Miyake’s affiliation lasted from 2022 until May 2023. Snow Man developed into the label’s most visible commercial success, with releases reported to have sold close to one million physical copies each by 2024. Kis-My-Ft2 and Snow Man were described as MENT Recording’s two main groups by 2025. MENT Recording’s corporate context changed after the public revelations concerning sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa. Johnny & Associates announced a closure and affiliated artists were transferred to Starto Entertainment. Fujishima stepped down as MENT Recording’s president and representative director on May 30, 2024. Shintaro Higuchi and Maiko Shino then became representative directors. Although MENT Recording continued to be associated with major groups connected to Starto, the available reporting did not establish a fully transparent account of its post-restructuring ownership or operating arrangements. The company therefore occupies a hybrid position: it is a record company with Avex roots, a label serving artists from the former Johnny & Associates ecosystem, and a continuing participant in the commercial infrastructure surrounding Starto-affiliated performers. Its principal activities are recording, releasing, promoting, and administering Japanese popular music.
- 2024
New representative directors take office
[1]Julie Keiko Fujishima resigns on May 30, and Shintaro Higuchi and Maiko Shino become representative directors.
- 2023
Johnny & Associates restructuring affects affiliated artists
[1]After the Johnny Kitagawa abuse scandal, Johnny & Associates is scheduled to close and its artists move to Starto Entertainment; MENT Recording’s detailed status becomes less clear.
- 2022
MENT Recording is established
[1]Avex Trax and Johnny & Associates jointly establish MENT Recording on January 11 as a Japanese recording company and label.
- 2022
Takizawa resigns as director
[1]Hideaki Takizawa leaves the board on October 31 following his departure from Johnny & Associates.
Products and positioning
A Japanese joint-venture record label linking Avex’s recorded-music infrastructure with the artist and management ecosystem historically associated with Johnny & Associates and, after its reorganization, Starto Entertainment.
Group music releases · 2022
Snow Man recorded releases
MENT Recording’s Snow Man catalog is one of the label’s central commercial activities. Snow Man is a Japanese male idol group that debuted in 2020 and became a major sales force after the label’s creation. Available reference material describes the group’s physical releases as approaching one million copies per release by 2024, making Snow Man a principal contributor to MENT Recording’s market visibility.
Group music releases · 2022
Kis-My-Ft2 recorded releases
Kis-My-Ft2 is one of MENT Recording’s two principal groups in the post-restructuring period. The label’s role covers the group’s recorded-music releases and associated label administration within the Avex-linked and former Johnny & Associates ecosystem. The available sources do not provide a complete catalog of albums, singles, or release dates.
Group music releases · 2022
20th Century recorded releases
20th Century, a group formed from former V6 members, was among the artists affiliated with MENT Recording. The label’s connection reflects the group’s earlier association with Avex Trax and the broader Johnny & Associates artist network. Specific MENT Recording release details are not provided in the available reference material.
Group music releases · 2022
Busaiku recorded releases
Busaiku was listed among the groups affiliated with MENT Recording. The group is connected to the Kis-My-Ft2 artist ecosystem, and its inclusion illustrates the label’s role in handling recordings by acts linked to the former Johnny & Associates network. The available sources do not specify a complete product history.
Controversies
2023
Johnny Kitagawa sexual-abuse scandal and agency restructuring
Public revelations concerning sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa led to the planned closure of Johnny & Associates, the transfer of affiliated artists to Starto Entertainment, and the resignation of Julie Keiko Fujishima from MENT Recording’s presidency. The available material does not establish that MENT Recording itself was accused of misconduct, but the scandal materially affected its corporate context and leadership.
Brand decisions
2023
Continue operations amid the Johnny & Associates transitionStrategyBackground
The planned closure of Johnny & Associates and the creation of Starto Entertainment changed the corporate setting for affiliated artists.
Action taken
Artists moved to Starto Entertainment while MENT Recording remained associated with key groups; the label’s detailed ownership and operating arrangements were not fully disclosed.
Aftermath
Kis-My-Ft2 and Snow Man continued to be identified as the label’s principal groups in the available 2025 information.
2022
Create a joint Avex–Johnny & Associates record companyStrategyBackground
Artists connected with Johnny & Associates and Avex Trax had historically operated across different label and management arrangements.
Action taken
Avex Trax and Johnny & Associates established MENT Recording as a dedicated recording company and label.
Aftermath
The company became a common label home for artists including 20th Century, Kis-My-Ft2, Busaiku, Snow Man, and, temporarily, Ken Miyake.
Recent events
- 2024
Julie Keiko Fujishima resigns and Higuchi and Shino become representative directors[1]
Leadership change
On May 30, 2024, Julie Keiko Fujishima left the representative-director role, while Shintaro Higuchi and Maiko Shino became representative directors.
- 2022
Avex and Johnny & Associates establish MENT Recording[1]
Other
Avex Trax and Johnny & Associates announced the creation of MENT Recording as a jointly established Japanese recording company and label.
- 2022
Hideaki Takizawa leaves the MENT Recording board[1]
Leadership change
Hideaki Takizawa resigned as a director on October 31, 2022, following his departure from Johnny & Associates.
MENT Recording joins the Recording Industry Association of Japan as a supporting member[1]
Other
The company was reported to have become a supporting member of the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
Sources1 sources
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