Japan's top talent agency under pressure to address sexual abuse allegations against founder

Japan's most powerful talent agencyis facing pressure to address allegations against its founder Johnny Kitagawa who has been accused by a number of survivors,including a few celebrities,of sexual abuse. Many have called out Kitagawa and want the talent agency Johnny & Associates to address the issue publically.

Kitagawa, who died in 2019 at the age of 87, has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple boys, but it is claimed he evaded justice because his victims knew that speaking out would ruin their careers.

The number of survivors who have gone public about Kitagawa has increased since a BBC documentary about the pop mogul aired in March.

Among those who have called him out in public include an actor and a dancer. Both were teenagers when they were recruited to Kitagawa's agency Johnny & Associates and they have now urged Japanese MPs to introduce legislation to better protect minors against sexual assault, including those who were part of the entertainment industry.

Celebrities who have accused Kitagawa of sexual abuse

Japanese-Brazilian musician Kauan Okamoto recently saidin a parliamentary hearing that he was abused at a penthouse apartment in Tokyo where Kitagawa would invite proteges to stay overnight. Okamoto said, “This is not restricted to the entertainment industry … but when someone in a higher position asks you for something, it’s difficult to refuse.” Okamoto alleged he had been assaulted 15 to 20 times over a period of four years and he was first assaulted at the age of 15.

He urged other survivors to come forward, saying, “Society is now at a stage where people will listen to our demands."

Former pop star Yashushi Hashida claimedKitagawa had performed oral sex on him when he was 12, about a year after he joined Johnny’s Jr – a group of trainees who also worked as a talent pool for Johnny & Associates.

This is not the first time that Kitagawa's name has been dragged into sexual abuse scandal. For years, many have accused him of sexual abuse, but owing to his clout the cases have not been reported by Japan’s biggest newspapers and TV networks, who feared losing access to the agency’s stars, who they depended on to attract a younger audience.

His agency has been instrumental in launching the careers of a string of boybands, including perennial favourites Smap and Arashi. At its peak, Johnny & Associates managed clients who appeared in dozens of TV programmes and commercials.

In 1999, the weekly magazine Shūkan Bunshun ran a series of articles based on interviews with teenage boys who claimed Kitagawa had sexually abused them. A legal battle ended in 2004 with the Tokyo high court ruling key parts of the magazine’s reporting were accurate. Kitagawa was never charged with a crime.

The current president of the talent agency, Julie Fujishima,had initially refused to address the claims made in the BBC documentary. But she later apologised to men who had come forward with abuse claims.

Fujishima, who is Kitagawa’s niece, said in a video posted on the agency’s website: “Obviously, we do not believe there was no problem. As a business and as an individual, I absolutely do not tolerate these acts.

“On the other hand, it is not easy for us to simply declare by ourselves whether individual allegations can be recognised as facts or not when we cannot confirm with the individual directly concerned, Johnny Kitagawa.”