EXILE’s Keiji Kuroki recently announced that he will be retiring from showbiz in the last quarter of the year.
The news was shared by Keiji via his agency LDH Japan, saying that the actor-dancer will be graduating from EXILE after their dome tour, “EXILE Live Tour 2022 – Power of Wish”.
Said Keiji, he has thought about retirement for the past few years after realising he is reaching his limits due to his age and physical strength.
“Before I am unable to deliver my best performance, I decided to use the opportunity of celebrating EXILE’s 20th anniversary to retire,” he said.
Keiji added that although he has done acting and variety shows, he is first and foremost a performer and part of EXILE, and that if he is to retire as a performer, he should step down from all stages.
“After retirement, I will support my family and do my best to contribute to society in a different way. We would appreciate if you could watch over us warmly,” he said.
“I thought about the timing of the announcement, but I thought that I should convey my thoughts to everyone who supports me in advance, so I announced it before the dome tour, which is the final stage where I can say goodbye. The next tour will be the last, but I would like to enjoy the rest of the time with everyone, and I would like to deliver the performance with gratitude while burning every moment in my heart, so I would be grateful if you could support me.”
Making his debut as Nidaime J Soul Brothers in 2007, Keiji joined EXILE in the same year, and played an active part of EXILE’s sub-unit, “EXILE THE SECOND”.
(Photo Source: Keiji Instagram)