Shonentai

Shonentai (少年隊, Shōnentai; lit. "Regiment of Boys") were a three-member Japanese boy band created by entertainment company Johnny & Associates, now rebranded to Starto Entertainment. They debuted on December 12, 1985. They were one of Japan's leading Japanese idol groups of the 1980s. The group led the annual musical Playzone from 1986 to 2008 for about 957 performances with a total attendance of over 1.38 million people over the course of 22 years.

On September 20, 2020, it was announced that Nishikiori and Uekusa would leave Johnny & Associates by the end of the year. The group name will be retained in accordance with the members' desire to preserve their past achievements and Shonentai itself, but there are no plans for future activities, and the group has effectively been placed on hiatus.

In September 2023, since Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal came to light, Higashiyama succeeded to the presidency of the Johnny's and retired from entertainment activities at the end of the same year, but there is currently no mention of the continuation of the name as a group after Higashiyama's retirement, so it is unclear.