Photo/Illutration The NHK broadcasting center in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Does one year pass quickly or slowly? I’m sure the answer differs greatly based on how each person feels.

In September of last year, the former Johnny & Associates Inc. talent agency acknowledged that its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa, had been a sexual predator.

Has it already been one year since then? Or was it only one year ago?

Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) announced on Oct. 16 that it will resume signing former Johnny & Associates entertainers for its programs. According to NHK, this was a comprehensive decision.

TV Tokyo Corp. also made a similar announcement recently. I can imagine hearing the gears clicking somewhere and starting to turn.

Over the past year, 1,000 individuals came forward and claimed to have been victimized, and 510 of these have reportedly agreed on the terms of compensation indicated by an entity named Smile-Up Inc.

I am stunned anew by the grotesqueness of this scandal. And I am left speechless when I think of all those people who had to endure the pain of their deep scars for decades.

Questions still remain unanswered about the case. Investigations are only half-way through. Are any sincere efforts being made to take care of the victims? Are the measures that have been set up to prevent this from happening again really sufficient?

Representatives of the former Johnny & Associates are still refusing to answer these questions.

The victims and their families continue to suffer.

Yasunobu Shiga, a former member of the idol group Ninja who held a news conference last week, said in a strained voice, “To tell you the truth, I’ve been slandered so severely, I’ve barely survived to this day.”

Has anything changed in our society over the past year? Is our society getting any closer to being able to notice and feel the pain of people who have been hurt but can’t call out for help?

Mumbling these questions to myself, I shake my head. This year, I may not be able to enjoy “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” NHK’s highly popular and long-running New Year’s Eve music and entertainment show.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 17

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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