Photo/Illutration Takeshi Niinami, chairman of Keizai Doyukai, has harsh words for Johnny & Associates Inc. at a news conference in Tokyo on Sept. 12. (Hideki Aota)

The list of advertisers distancing themselves from Johnny & Associates Inc. has grown, but some companies are sticking with idols from the disgraced entertainment agency embroiled in a sex abuse scandal.

Kao Corp. announced on Sept. 12 that it will stop “as quickly as possible” advertisements featuring idols employed by the agency, which admitted last week that its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa, had sexually abused boys for decades.

The household products maker, which uses Kento Nakajima of Sexy Zone and other idols to promote its cosmetics products, said it will decide on future contracts based on the agency’s progress in reforming operations and preventing a recurrence.

McDonald’s Co. (Japan), meat processor Itoham Foods Inc. and drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare Co. also announced the same day they will review their advertisement contracts with the agency.

At a news conference on Sept. 12, Takeshi Niinami, chairman of Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives), said a company is tolerating child abuse if it keeps using Johnny & Associates idols.

Suntory Holdings Ltd., where Niinami serves as president, said Sept. 11 it will not conclude new contracts with the agency until it provides a satisfactory explanation about the abuse.

However, Menicon Co., a contact lens maker, said it has no immediate plans to cancel its advertisement contract, saying it believes that idols represented by the agency should not be blamed for Kitagawa’s misconduct.

Keihan Holdings Co. uses Junichi Okada from Johnny & Associates in advertisements for Hirakata Park, an amusement park in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture.

“We value our relationship with Okada and have been working with him for 10 years,” a company representative said. “We will carefully consider what to do.”

Mos Food Services Inc., operator of the Mos Burger hamburger restaurant chain, plans to release a TV commercial on Sept. 13 featuring an idol signed with the agency.

“We will make an appropriate judgment (on future contracts) by confirming the agency has implemented measures to provide relief to the victims and to prevent a recurrence,” a company representative said.

Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. said the wave of companies reviewing their transactions with Johnny & Associates could grow further because many of its business partners are large corporations that operate under strict legal compliance and corporate governance requirements.

The credit research company said Sept. 13 that the entertainment agency and its 13 group companies deal with 226 companies, and that 92, or about 40 percent, of them are large companies capitalized at 100 million yen ($681,000) or more.

Thirty companies are listed on stock exchanges. Twenty-nine are advertising agencies, followed by 12 TV production companies.

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