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

Japan's most powerful talent agency is 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 said in 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 claimed Kitagawa 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.”

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

A former teen idol has come forward with a shocking allegation against the late Johnny Kitagawa, the founder and president of Johnny &amp; Associates. Kauan Okamoto has revealed that he was among the multiple boys who were sexually abused by Kitagawa. 
 
On Wednesday, during a press conference, the&nbsp;Japanese-Brazilian singer made the shocking revelation against Kitagawa, as he revealed that he abused him multiple times over a four-year period when he was 15 years old.&nbsp;

“I believe that almost all of the boys who went to stay at Johnny’s place were victims,” Okamoto told reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, as per The Guardian. “If you stayed there, you were unlikely to evade him. I would say 100 to 200 boys stayed there on a rotation basis during my four years at the agency.”

A day later, Kitagawa gave Okamoto&nbsp;10,000 yen (about US$75) without telling him&nbsp;any reason.&nbsp;

Okamoto alleged that at least 100 boys stayed at the business mogul's home and he believed all of them had been abused. While he's no plans to take legal action against the company, his only motive behind speaking out is to inspire other victims.&nbsp;

“I hope other victims will also come forward, all of them,'' he said during the press conference.&nbsp;

For the unversed, Johnny passed away in the year 2019 at the age of 87.&nbsp;

Reacting to the shocking allegation, Johnny &amp; Associates said in a statement released to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, per CNN, “Since the change in management following the death of the former president in 2019, we have developed a trustworthy, highly transparent organizational structure and systems that are in line with the times.''

“The entire company will continue to work together to ensure thorough compliance without exception by management and employees, and strengthen the governance system with the cooperation of neutral experts,” the statement reads.&nbsp;

Kitagawa has launched and trained some of Japan's biggest male idols since the 60s and still his company remains one of Japan's&nbsp;most powerful agencies. SMAP, Arashi and Kinki Kids are some of the biggest stars produced&nbsp;by the agency.&nbsp;

Over the years, several serious allegations have been labelled against Kitagawa. In the year 1999, Shukan Bunshun, a weekly magazine, shocked the entire world as they released a series of articles revealing the misconduct done by Kitagawa.&nbsp;

The articles were based on the interviews of the boys, who had been sexually abused by him. However, Kitagawa was never charged with a crime.

A former teen idol has come forward with a shocking allegation against the late Johnny Kitagawa, the founder and president of Johnny & Associates. Kauan Okamoto has revealed that he was among the multiple boys who were sexually abused by Kitagawa.

A former teen idol has come forward with a shocking allegation against the late Johnny Kitagawa, the founder and president of Johnny & Associates. Kauan Okamoto has revealed that he was among the multiple boys who were sexually abused by Kitagawa. On Wednesday, during a press conference, the Japanese-Brazilian singer made the shocking revelation against Kitagawa, as he revealed that he abused him multiple times over a four-year period when he was 15 years old. “I believe that almost all of the boys who went to stay at Johnny’s place were victims,” Okamoto told reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, as per The Guardian. “If you stayed there, you were unlikely to evade him. I would say 100 to 200 boys stayed there on a rotation basis during my four years at the agency.” A day later, Kitagawa gave Okamoto 10,000 yen (about US$75) without telling him any reason. Okamoto alleged that at least 100 boys stayed at the business mogul's home and he believed all of them had been abused. While he's no plans to take legal action against the company, his only motive behind speaking out is to inspire other victims. “I hope other victims will also come forward, all of them,'' he said during the press conference. For the unversed, Johnny passed away in the year 2019 at the age of 87. Reacting to the shocking allegation, Johnny & Associates said in a statement released to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, per CNN, “Since the change in management following the death of the former president in 2019, we have developed a trustworthy, highly transparent organizational structure and systems that are in line with the times.'' “The entire company will continue to work together to ensure thorough compliance without exception by management and employees, and strengthen the governance system with the cooperation of neutral experts,” the statement reads. Kitagawa has launched and trained some of Japan's biggest male idols since the 60s and still his company remains one of Japan's most powerful agencies. SMAP, Arashi and Kinki Kids are some of the biggest stars produced by the agency. Over the years, several serious allegations have been labelled against Kitagawa. In the year 1999, Shukan Bunshun, a weekly magazine, shocked the entire world as they released a series of articles revealing the misconduct done by Kitagawa. The articles were based on the interviews of the boys, who had been sexually abused by him. However, Kitagawa was never charged with a crime.

Former J-pop idol accuses late Japanese music mogul Johnny Kitagawa of sexual abuse

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

Former J-pop idol accuses late Japanese music mogul Johnny Kitagawa of sexual abuse