Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal
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In 2023, it was revealed that Johnny Kitagawa (1931–2019), the founder of the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, had committed sexual abuse from the early 1970s until the mid-2010s. Considered one of the most powerful figures in the Japanese entertainment industry, Kitagawa held a virtual monopoly on the creation of boy bands in Japan for more than 40 years.[1] No criminal charges were ever filed against him, as the Japanese media had covered up the sexual abuse without reporting it at all.
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From 1988 to 2000, Kitagawa was the subject of a number of claims that he had taken advantage of his position to engage in improper sexual relationships with boys under contract to his talent agency. Kitagawa denied these claims, and in 2002 was awarded an ¥8.8 million judgment against Shukan Bunshun, the magazine that had published such allegations. An appeal by the magazine followed, resulting in a partial reversal of the judgment. The Tokyo High Court reduced the damages to ¥1.2 million, concluding that the reports of drinking and smoking were defamatory but that the allegations of sexual exploitation of adolescent boys by Kitagawa were true. A 2004 appeal to the Supreme Court by Kitagawa was rejected. The case saw minimal coverage in Japan, with many journalists attributing it to Kitagawa's influence on Japanese mass media.[2][3]
In 2023, four years after his death, his sexual abuse became more publicly known after a report in August that year concluded that he committed sexual abuse from the early 1970s until the mid-2010s, including the rape of hundreds of boys who were members of Johnny & Associates before their debut.[4][5] The report came after sexual abuse claims against Kitagawa had received renewed attention following a BBC documentary and further allegations being made by musician and former Johnny's Jr. member Kauan Okamoto earlier in the year. It was also revealed that the rape was covered up by the Japanese media.
As of 2023, a reported number of 478 persons have claimed to have been victimized by Kitagawa, of those, 325 sought compensation, and only 150 have been confirmed to have belonged in the company.[6] Later in the year, it was revealed that Johnny & Associates would be renamed to SMILE UP, and that that anything bearing the name "Johnny", such as related companies and performing groups, would undergo changes to remove any trace of Kitagawa's name.