Tomohisa Yamashita

Tomohisa Yamashita, also known as Yamapi or Tomo, is a Japanese singer, actor, and TV host. He started his career as a trainee at the talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996. Yamashita made his acting debut in 1998 with a small role in NHK's Shonentachi. In 2004, he became part of the idol group NEWS and made his musical debut. He later ventured into a solo career in 2006. Yamashita gained popularity for his role as Kusano Akira in the drama Nobuta Wo Produce (2005) and his first major role in Kurosagi (2006). In 2011, he left NEWS to focus on his solo projects. He released music under Warner Music Japan until 2016 and then switched to Sony Music Japan in mid-2018. Yamashita left Johnny & Associates in October 2020.