TOKYO - Formal dating bans have become rare in Japan's idol industry, yet reports of relationships still trigger online firestorms that expose the intense expectations placed on performers.
Earlier this year, after a weekly magazine reported that a member of a popular idol group was in a relationship, social media was filled with comments such as, "I can't honestly support them anymore" and "Don't take being an idol lightly."
Popular group WEST. also came under criticism after two members announced in August that they had married, with one of them also revealing that he was a father. Some fans said they should have waited until they had stopped being idols. The group ended its activities at the end of September.
The reactions reflect a broader pressure on idols to maintain an untarnished image in their private lives, even as society has become more accepting of different lifestyles and personal choices.
But explicit bans on romantic relationships have largely disappeared from major talent agencies, according to Kunitaka Kasai, a lawyer familiar with issues in the entertainment industry.
"I think there are almost no major talent agencies anymore that impose rules banning romantic relationships," Kasai said.
The issue was repeatedly tested in court in the 2010s, when agencies sought damages from idols accused of breaking rules prohibiting romantic relationships.
In 2015, the Tokyo District Court partially upheld an agency's claim, ruling that the revelation of a relationship could damage an idol's image.
But in a separate case the following year, a court rejected an agency's damages claim, saying that having a relationship with a member of the opposite sex was an exercise of the right to self-determination -- the right to live one's life as one chooses.
Kasai said attitudes subsequently shifted as greater emphasis was placed on human rights and corporate compliance, and cases in which agencies treated relationships themselves as a problem became less common.
"It used to be an issue between the agency and the idol," he said. "Now it has become an issue between the idol and the fans."
But even when there is no contractual problem, reports of idols' relationships can still trigger intense online backlash.
Mana Kamioka, a sociology researcher who was formerly an idol herself, said the pressure on idols to maintain an untarnished image partly reflected an attitude among fans that "having no scandals means getting a perfect score as an idol."
She said it was too simplistic, however, to view the relationship between idols and fans merely as a form of romantic fantasy.
Fans devote themselves to supporting performers as they rise to stardom, creating what Kamioka described as something resembling a "team" working toward the same goal.
The shock and anger that sometimes follows revelations about an idol's private life can stem from a gap between the image fans developed while supporting them and the reality that suddenly comes to light, she said.
Messages congratulating idols on relationships can also be found on social media, but negative posts tend to spread more widely. Some users demand that idols "give back the time and money" they spent supporting them.
Some people also appear to post provocative comments simply to generate impressions, or views, that can produce revenue.
Kamioka said whether someone chooses to continue supporting an idol after learning about a relationship is ultimately a matter for the individual fan.
"Each person is free to decide for themselves," she said.
But idols should have the same freedom over their own private lives, she added.
"They have the freedom to have a partner, and the freedom not to have one," Kamioka said. "The most important thing is that each person's choice is respected."
