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TOKYO — The head of a major boy group talent agency in Japan has released a youtube Apologizing for the sexual abuse her ex allegedly committed and promising to prevent it from happening again.
The charges against Johnny Kitagawa, a powerful figure in Japanese entertainment and founder of Johnny & Associates, have been swirling for more than two decades, although he has never been charged with a crime. He passed away in 2019.
The allegations came back into the spotlight after BBC News ran a special earlier this year, focusing on several people who said they had been sexually abused.
“Most of all, I am deeply sorry to the victims,” a solemn Julie Keiko Fujishima bowed four times in a one-minute video posted Sunday night.
The scandal is a wake-up call for Japan’s lag in combating sexual harassment. Consumers have boycotted Johnny’s, a company also known for its extensive roster because dozens of “tarento” or “talents” appear in various advertisements. A petition expressing outrage has gathered thousands of signatures.
Fujishima apologized for the “disappointment and concern” fans must have felt. In another written statement, she stressed she was not aware of any wrongdoing but admitted it was no excuse. She said a compliance team and consultation had been set up, while no external third-party investigation had been scheduled.
Kitagawa asked budding singers and dancers, many of them children, to stay at his mansion, according to the allegations. When he told one of them to go to bed early, everyone knew “it’s your turn”.
Such testimony by musician Kauan Okamoto, who appeared at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Tokyo last month, raised the level of criticism of Johnny’s. Okamoto was the first accuser to come forward under his real name to share his story with reporters and was photographed.
He was part of the backup team, Johnny’s Jr., which was the talent pool for Johnny & Associates. The company has some of Japan’s top actors.
Fujishima recently met with Okamoto.
She could not say for sure whether his allegations were accurate. But she sees people accusing abuse and things like this “should never happen again”.
“We were just getting started, but he gave us the opportunity to change,” she said.
When Okamoto first met Fujishima, whom he called “Julie-san,” his reaction was overwhelmingly positive. He added that it was like talking to his mother. He knew she was genuinely sorry, but there were privacy and legal concerns.
There are criticisms that Hikaru Fujishima’s apology is not enough, the company should hold a press conference, and she should resign and take responsibility.
Others have blasted Japan’s mainstream media for their prolonged silence, suggesting they fear reprisals and losing their talent pool. The exception is Weekly Wenshun, which has actively covered Johnny’s scandal from the beginning.
Japanese entertainers have been facing stiff competition from neighboring South Korea, where groups such as BTS have enjoyed greater international success. Over the years, some of Johnny’s stars have been leaving the company, including Okamoto.
“Everyone should stand up and tell the truth,” Okamoto said in his latest YouTube video.
He was afraid of being rejected by Japanese society when he just wanted love, as a human being and as a musician.
“It’s not easy to deliver a dream through entertainment and really move people,” Okamoto said.
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Yuri Kageyama on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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