By BUNNA TAKIZAWA/ Staff Writer
September 28, 2023 at 12:50 JST
The head office and broadcasting center of Japan Broadcasting Corp. in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) will no longer cast performers from Johnny & Associates Inc. on its programs starting Sept. 27 due to the sexual abuse scandal involving the talent agency’s late founder, Johnny Kitagawa.
Nobuo Inaba, president of the public broadcaster, announced the decision at a regular news conference the same day.
Inaba said that the period of suspension would last "until it is confirmed that compensation for the victims and efforts to prevent further abuse are being steadily implemented," and that the programs would include "Kohaku Uta Gassen," the annual singing contest between popular male and female personalities on New Year's Eve.
However, performers already under contract will continue to appear, he said.
"Kohaku Uta Gassen" was also mentioned by Hiroo Yamana, executive director responsible for media operations, at the regular news conference.
When asked if there is a possibility that no performers or groups affiliated with Johnny & Associates will appear in "Kohaku Uta Gassen," depending on the progress made by their agency, he said, "At the moment, that is the case."
Last year, six groups affiliated with the agency, including Naniwa Danshi, participated in "Kohaku Uta Gassen."
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
