Shingo Katori:Looking back at the dressing room during his time with SMAP, "The atmosphere was incredible, when all five of us got together"

Actor Shingo Katori attended the Fuji TV Drama Live 2025 Winter event, a joint event for the January 2025 Fuji TV drama series, held in Tokyo on December 21. There was a moment when he looked back on his time with SMAP.

Also attending the event were Katori's juniors at Johnny's Entertainment (now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT), the agency he was formerly affiliated with, including Nakajima Yuto of Hey! Say! JUMP, Yuto Nakajima Shintaro of SixTONES, Nagase Ren of King & Prince, and Nishihata Daigo of Naniwa Danshi.

When asked by the MC about his connection with Katori, Nagase confessed that he has almost no contact with him, saying, "I'm more like a junior, or should I say younger..." Morimoto, who co-starred with Katori in the 2013 drama series "Yuukana Kanojo" (Kansai TV/Fuji TV), also revealed, "We haven't gone out (to eat)."

Meanwhile, Nakajima reminisced about when Katori visited her dressing room to say hello when he was still active in SMAP. "He was the one who greeted me with the biggest smile, like, 'Thank you for coming.' As a junior, it's really nerve-wracking to go and say hello to a senior in their dressing room. But he was really kind at that time," she recalled.

In response, Katori said, "That's right! I was the one who said 'Thank you!' first, right?" Nakajima replied, "I didn't say 'Thank you!' (laughs)." Katori joked, "It was a great atmosphere, so when all five of us gathered together," making the audience laugh.

On this day, the main cast of the drama airing in January 2025 gathered together. Also appearing on the stage were Kiyohara Nana, Koji Seto , and Mikami Ai from " 119 Emergency Call " (Mondays 9pm), Rihito Itagaki, Nakajima, and Kadowaki Mugi from "Secret - The Top Secret" (Mondays 10pm), Haru, Yamamoto Koji, and Morimoto from "Frame of Mind" (Tuesdays 9pm), Nagase, Yamashita Koji Yamamoto, and Nishihata from "Onzoshi ni Koi wa Muzusugiru " (Tuesdays 11pm), Kamikawa Takaya, Uchida Rio, and Ryubi Miyase from " Mondai Bukken " (Wednesdays 10pm), Katori, Ken Yasuda Ken, and Mukai Yuka from " The Japan's Number One Jerk Salaryman " (Thursdays 10pm), and Daichi Mao, Matsumoto Marika, and Hori Kaito from "The Best Old Lady Nakajima Haruko" (Saturdays 11:40pm). The MCs were Yamazaki Hiroya from the comedy duo "Untouchable," along with the station's announcers Sano Mizuki and Niimi Yuka.