Photo/Illutration Damilola Olawuyi of Nigeria, right, and Pichamon Yeophantong of Thailand speak at an Aug. 4 news conference in Tokyo. (Masaaki Kobayashi)

A United Nations human rights delegation on Aug. 4 urged the government to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by a late talent agency chief and cast doubt on the company’s own internal inquiry into the matter.

Experts Damilola Olawuyi from Nigeria and Pichamon Yeophantong from Thailand, who are representatives of the U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights, said the Japanese media bore some of the blame for not reporting on the abuse for decades.

They were speaking in Tokyo during a working visit to examine human rights and labor conditions. They reported some of the findings since their visit began on July 24.

The two met with individuals who allege they suffered abuse by Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019 at age 87. Kitagawa founded Johnny & Associates Inc., which managed a slew of high-profile entertainers and personalities.

The experts said the evidence points to a campaign of widespread sexual exploitation and abuse. Moreover, they said the Japanese media bears partial blame for staying silent about it.

Olawuyi and Yeophantong also cast doubt on the transparency and rigor of an internal inquiry conducted by Johnny & Associates.

They called on companies, especially those in the media and entertainment sectors, to implement procedures for handling complaints about sexual abuse and to provide assistance for victims.

In a statement, the working group pointed to the central role the Japanese government should play in conducting transparent investigations and implementing measures to help victims, be they through monetary compensation or apologies.

The two experts also examined other aspects of labor conditions during their visit.

They traveled to Osaka, Aichi, Hokkaido and Fukushima prefectures and met with central and local government officials, citizens’ groups, labor unions, human rights activists, company officials and representatives of business organizations.

They looked at the problems faced by workers, as well as the measures to help victims of human rights violations. Their scrutiny included the technical intern trainee program, which has been criticized for restrictive conditions some participants are exposed to.

A report by the working group will be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council in June next year.

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