Photo/Illutration Musician Kauan Okamoto tells the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on April 12 that he was sexually abused by Johnny Kitagawa, founder of talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. (Sayuri Ide)

A former teen idol who signed with Johnny & Associates Inc., one of Japan’s largest and most influential talent agencies, said he was sexually abused for years by Johnny Kitagawa, the powerful founder of the agency.

Speaking at a news conference held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on April 12, Kauan Okamoto said he was sexually assaulted 15 to 20 times at Kitagawa’s home and at hotels between 2012, when he joined the agency at the age of 15, and 2016, when he left the agency.

He also said he saw Kitagawa sexually assault other boys.

The allegations are too serious to be overlooked.

Another young man has told The Asahi Shimbun that Kitagawa tried to sexually abuse him in a similar manner when he was a teenager.

The two former agency members described their experiences in convincing detail.

Kitagawa died in 2019 and cannot counter these allegations.

He and his agency had earlier filed a libel lawsuit against the publisher of a weekly magazine over a series of articles about Kitagawa’s alleged “sexual harassment.”

The Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that key parts of the magazine articles concerning Kitagawa’s sexual harassment could be deemed true.

During the trial, Kitagawa himself said it was difficult for him to clearly assert that the victims had made false testimonies.

Kitagawa’s agency has produced many popular male idols over the years and wielded huge influence in wide areas of the entertainment industry, including television, movie and music.

If the allegations are true, Kitagawa took advantage of his status and power to sexually abuse boys who were desperately trying to succeed as idols.

Such despicable action behind closed doors amounts to serious human rights violations.

In recent years, many victims of sexual abuse in the entertainment business have come forward. The allegations against Kitagawa are all the more serious because many of the alleged victims were minors.

But Johnny & Associates’ response to the allegations has been extremely perfunctory.

Following Okamoto’s news conference, the agency issued a statement promising to improve its compliance and governance systems. But it only stated general principles and made no reference to specific facts.

The statement is grossly insufficient as a response to the serious allegations.

The agency has a duty to conduct a broad investigation into all of the allegations to clarify the facts while paying attention to human rights.

Many questions should be answered through such a probe. Were other executives and employees of the agency unaware of what was going on? What measures did the agency take after the 2004 top court ruling?

The agency needs to conduct an exhaustive and independent inquiry and explain the facts to society.

Entertainers and artists managed by Johnny & Associates have many fans spanning generations, from children to seniors, and the agency still wields great influence over society.

It must realize it has heavy responsibility and a social mission as a leading company in the industry.

Allegations of Kitagawa’s sexual abuse have been around for some time. Until now, however, they were mainly reported only by a small number of weekly and other magazines.

Newspapers and other news outlets should do some soul searching and learn lessons from this scandal for the future.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 15

Related News