I’ve written before about the slow-moving scandal of Johnny Kitagawa, the genius creator of boy bands who was sexually abusing the idols his company was managing. Let’s look at the big developments in the story over the past few weeks!
The Dam Breaks: Johnny’s & Associates is No More
Back in March, the BBC aired a documentary on the terrible sexual abuse Japan’s original “idolmaster” had been propagating against the underage idols his company managed, until his death in 2019. While the Japanese media predictably ignored the BBC story, Japan’s famous muck-raking magazine Shukan Bunshun published a new expose, which finally created a critical mass that the media couldn’t ignore. Some of the highlights:
- In April, Johnny’s & Associates president Julie Keiko Fujishima (Johnny’s niece) issued a public apology, admitting the long years of abuse and promising to pay compensation to the victims. She placed the bulk of the blame on Johnny’s older sister Mary (Julie’s mother), who ran the company during the abuse.
- In August, a third-party investigation determined that founder Johnny Kitagawa had in fact sexually abused hundreds of young idols-in-training (known as “Johnny’s Jr.”) and that the company and various media agencies had been complicit in the cover-up. The current number of known victims is a staggering 478.
- In September, Fujishima stepped down as president, replaced by Noriyuki Higashiyama, a former member of the idol group Shonentai. Fujishima — who holds 100% of the stock in Johnny & Associates — will manage the monetary disbursement to the victims, overseen by a new chief compliance officer.
Financial Repercussions
“Johnny’s-kei” male idols are the bedrock of Japan’s entertainment industry, with 2022’s total sales of music, advertising and other media-related activities by the talent agency topping 100 billion yen. In case you can’t think in numbers that high (it took me several minutes to calculate it accurately), this is currently about USD $672 million.
But with the allegations out in the open, advertisers are canceling contracts with the company left and right. It looks like it will be a while before we see the popular idols from Hey! Say! JUMP, KAT-TUN and King & Prince advertising smartphones and Nissan cars.
What Happened This Week?
In a long-anticipated move, it was announced that the name Johnny & Associates would be retired in favor of the new name SMILE UP, as the company distances itself from its disgraced founder. A still-unnamed new company will be formed to manage the company’s idol groups, who will all get new names and new branding.
While it’s nice to have the company apologizing and offering financial compensation to the victims, some are doubting the company’s sincerity. In the aftermath of this week’s press conference, an “NG list” — a list of members of the press who were not approved to be called on to ask questions based on their writing negative articles about the company in the past — was leaked, causing a flurry of new criticism.
How Could Johnny Get Away with Abuse for Years?
Johnny’s sexual predation of the male idols his company was training was an open secret known by everyone in Japan, and often discussed in private. But no news outlet could report on the story, or else that network would lose access to the most lucrative talent in the industry. Japan’s media is quite good at keeping silent on certain important topics, which is another topic being hotly debated this week.
Another organization that’s complicit in Johnny’s crimes is NHK, Japan’s clone of Britain’s BBC, for using the company’s idols in their programs, especially the huge Kouhaku Red-and-White Song Battle music program held on New Year’s Eve. It’s pretty clear we won’t be seeing all those handsome Johnny’s-kei faces up on stage singing duets with Mickey and Minnie Mouse this year.
Thanks for reading this update on the scandal involving Johnny & Associates. What are your views on the scandal?
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