The widow of a man sexually abused by the late founder of a famed talent agency said the negative reverberations continue one year after the revelations and scandal finally came to light. 

“The suffering of victims and their families still persists,” said the woman who lost her spouse due to defamation and insults against those molested by Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates Inc.

The widow’s husband, who was in his 40s, died in October 2023 after coming forward as a victim.

His death came a month after the talent agency, now renamed Smile-Up Inc., acknowledged the entertainment mogul’s hideous acts on Sept. 7, 2023. 

COUNTERMEASURES TOO LATE

The woman’s husband went public in September last year to share the harm inflicted on him by Kitagawa, who died in 2019.

The victim stated that he was abused in 1995 when he was 19 and part of the agency. He said he was “so traumatized that the experience has left me with never-ending pain.”

As soon as news reports about his ordeal were released, the man faced a barrage of slander and slurs on the internet. One online poster called him a “liar” and another accused him of “just wanting money.”

At least one such message included an implied murder threat. His workplace received a crank call. Someone also uploaded an image of his wife and child on the internet.

The widow remembers the pitiful expression on her spouse’s face. He then said he “can put up with slanderous remarks made about me” but that he “did not imagine they would target my family, too.”

Her husband was found dead in the mountains the following month. Osaka prefectural police believe he took his own life.

The man’s farewell note reflects what he felt about the issue.

“I came forward because I believed as many victims’ voices as possible would be essential to rooting out this social evil,” the man wrote. “I hoped to contribute to society for the first time in my life, so that it could become a much easier place for them (children) to live in.”

At the same time, the husband confided that he was no longer able to find peace of mind as forgotten terrible memories resurfaced.

The man called on the talent agency to take measures for cracking down on verbal attacks against abuse victims during a media interview.

Smile-Up urged people to “stop making slanderous remarks about the victims” at a news conference last fall. But no concrete measures were implemented for some time.

The agency announced in February this year that it became a supporting member of an organization that offers a service to help those exposed to insults and slurs.

Toward the end of May, Smile-Up belatedly posted a statement on its website to officially discourage online users “from defaming the victims and their relatives.” 

The widow criticized Smile-Up for taking these steps too late.

“My husband had already called for countermeasures for a long time,” she said. “I cannot understand why the agency was so slow in taking decisive action.”

In December, the widow reported the slanderous abuse directed against her husband to the Osaka prefectural police.

The woman similarly consulted with a lawyer to have certain online posts be removed. She has settled with Smile-Up on compensation for her spouse’s sexual abuse. 

Despite all that, there seems to be no end to the stream of inconsiderate comments for now.

The widow currently fears that their child may someday discover offensive words directed at her husband and other family members on a smartphone.

DRIVEN OUT OF JAPAN

One victim was forced to move overseas due to slanderous attacks.

Akimasa Nihongi, 41, a former Johnny's Jr. member, relocated to Ireland, his wife’s homeland, in late April.

Since going public to expose Kitagawa’s crimes last year, Nihongi has been slandered on social media for a “publicity stunt” and called a “money-grubber” and a “liar.” A photo of his wife was posted online as well.

Anxiety and flashbacks made it nearly impossible for Nihongi to sleep. On top of that, his wife expressed concerns about raising their offspring in Japan.

Trying to distance himself from his home nation, Nihongi resigned as a music and English teacher. He arrived in Ireland on a sightseeing visa since he was unable to find employment there.

Nihongi afterward switched to a spouse visa. Desperate to work, he is still struggling to find a job.

After much agonizing, Nihongi recently reached a settlement with Smile-Up for compensation. However, the agency’s course of action in the past year appeared far from satisfactory in his eyes.

“Smile-Up should have put in place more thorough countermeasures against slander,” Nihongi said. “Steps to prevent a recurrence have yet to be made clear, either.”

He continued, “The agency should not think that paying compensation alone can bring an end to the scandal. My hope is that it will find out the entire picture of the incident, so such a thing will never occur again.”

Slander against those who have brought Kitagawa’s sexual assaults to light under their real names continues unabated. A succession of criminal complaints and damage reports to police continue to be submitted.

In one of those cases, the offender was reportedly referred to prosecutors on suspicion of threats and insults. A summary indictment was filed against the culprit’s insults in another instance.

(This article was written by Amane Shimazaki, Satoshi Tazoe and Maki Okubo, a senior staff writer.)