Translated by Mandilinn
August 5, 2014

It has been revealed to Shukan Bunshun that Namie Amuro (36) has decided to become independent of major entertainment angecy “Rising Pro Inc.” (Minato-ku, tokyo), to which she has been signed for 22 years.
President Tetsuo Taira of said company discovered Amuro’s talent more than 20 years ago when she was a schoolchild in Okinawa, and he became like a foster parent to her, but in May of this year, she appealed directly to the President, saying “I’d like to become independent.” “At this rate, this has become a slave contract”, etc.

According to officials from the company, the details are as follows:

“In May of this year, Namie went before several executives and the President and abruptly announced that she wanted her independence. Her intentions became clear when she later came to the office with a tax accountant and talked about changes in the terms and conditions of her contract, drafting a written proposal. The proposal listed that the contract between Namie and the managment agency Rising would come to an end at once, and that the new company Namie creates and her current one changes the remaining contract time and signs a new contract, the percentange of the distribution of royalties and rewards would be raised, and that her new company would possess part of the original recording rights.”

Currently, lawyers for both sides are entering discussions.

When Shukan Bunshun asked for an interview, Namie’s attorney said they will not respond at this time and Rising Pro’s attorneys said this matter is “best left to the lawyers”.

We will keep a close eye on any future developments.