Today, Johnny & Associates announced on its site that the company is setting an age limit for Johnny’s Jr. The new policy will go into affect on March 31, 2023. From that day forward, if there is no agreement with the company to debut by the March 31 after the trainee reaches the age of 22, his contract with Johnny & Associates will be terminated that day.

Johnny & Associates explained the reasoning behind this new policy, saying that 22 is the crossroads of life, and it is helping its trainees figure out what direction they want to take in the future. Sometimes, trainees get comfortable in their position as a trainee due to the company’s great environment, instead of growing out of that role. The company also wants to return the Johnny’s Jr. project to its origins as a program where trainees eventually debut as idols, as opposed to staying trainees.

It should be noted though that Johnny & Associates does have agreements with some Johnny’s Jr. members to keep them as trainees past the time they are supposed to leave the company.

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