Photo/Illutration Victims who claim they were sexually abused by Johnny Kitagawa and their lawyer attend a news conference in Tokyo on Jan. 15. (Amane Shimazaki)

Four men who accused Johnny Kitagawa, the late founder of the talent agency previously known as Johnny & Associates Inc., of sexual abuse demanded greater transparency in how the agency is compensating victims.

Shimon Ishimaru, 56, deputy head of the Johnny’s Sexual Assault Victims Association, said there is no way to determine whether the victim relief being provided by the scandal-hit agency, now renamed Smile-Up Inc., is appropriate and fair.

“We would like to strongly demand improvement,” he said at a news conference on Jan. 15. 

Since last year, the victims association has been in talks with Smile-Up about compensating Kitagawa’s many victims.

The victims association has requested that Smile-Up not include a confidentiality clause regarding the terms of compensation and that the criteria for compensation should be clearly defined. However, these requests have been denied, the association said.

“Smile-Up firmly insists that requests (for compensation) should be made through the victim relief committee (which is composed of three former judges),” Ishimaru said. 

He stressed, “It’s hard to say that the company is facing the victims directly. We want it to fully fulfill its responsibility.”

He also pointed out that there are no mental health experts among the three members of the committee.

“We would like the company to create an environment where people feel more secure and can talk directly with the company,” he said.

VICTIMS DEMAND TO SEE MODEL CASE

Smile-Up said on its official website on Jan. 15 that it had agreed on compensation terms with 156 of the 939 people who had reported abuse, and that it had paid compensation to 125 of them.

Kazuya Sugiyama, a lawyer for the victims association who attended the news conference, said, “I’ve heard that three former judges on the relief committee decided the compensation amounts, but it’s unclear how they are assessing these cases and what kind of relief is being provided.”

“The committee should publicly disclose a model case to show how much it paid in cases like that,” Sugiyama said.

The lawyer also criticized Smile-Up for offloading all decision-making responsibilities onto the relief committee, shirking its own involvement.

“Since Noriyuki Higashiyama, president of Smile-Up, has declared his dedication to victim relief, we hope the company will focus on improving the situation, rather than just making formal decisions,” he said.

The news conference was also attended by Koji Okada, 55, a member of the victims association; Junichi Kurata, 55, a former member of Johnny’s Jr. (pre-debut idols trained by the agency); and Kenichiro Kawai, 55, a former actor who once appeared in film playing the younger brother of Masahiko Kondo, a famed former Johnny’s idol.

EXPLANATION FROM NEW AGENCY SOUGHT

Okada criticized Smile-Up, saying, “It has not changed from the days of the Johnny & Associates.”

He also spoke about Starto Entertainment Inc., a new talent agency accepting performers from the former Johnny & Associates, saying, “The president stressed new initiatives and new things, but if the agency is taking over Kitagawa’s legacy, it needs to explain itself.”

He questioned the increased exposure of the former agency’s entertainers on TV and in magazines and other media since the beginning of the year, asking if they are “eagerly awaiting the day when they can freely use Johnny’s talents as if there were no problems.”

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