'Idol Daebu's Trainee Sexual Exploitation Scandal... Official Apology from Japanese Entertainment Agency'

Apology Video Released by Janice CEO
Admission of Facts Essentially Avoided

Japan's major entertainment agency Johnny & Associates officially apologized on the 14th regarding allegations that its former president, the late Johnny Kitagawa, sexually harassed affiliated trainees and talents. However, the agency avoided acknowledging the sexual harassment itself separate from the apology, suggesting that the controversy is unlikely to subside easily. As circumstances revealing decades of concealed sexual crimes have come to light, a boycott movement is also emerging, mainly among fans.

Apology video from Julie Keiko Fujishima, President of Johnny's. (Photo by Johnny's official website)

According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 15th, the previous day Johnny & Associates President Julie Fujishima appeared in a video and released a written apology. In the one-minute video, she said, "First and foremost, I deeply apologize to those who have come forward with their grievances," and "I also repeatedly apologize for causing great disappointment and anxiety to related parties and fans." This is the agency's first official apology at the organizational level.

Johnny & Associates is the agency that produced Japan's national idols such as Arashi, SMAP, and KinKi Kids, and Johnny & Associates idols were also popular in South Korea during the 2000s. However, in March, the British BBC reported that former president Johnny Kitagawa had committed sexual crimes against affiliated trainees and talents for decades by abusing his authority.

However, the agency avoided giving a clear answer regarding acknowledgment of the facts separate from the apology. In a subsequent written Q&A, President Fujishima said about the allegations from former Johnny's Juniors (trainees), "Since it is impossible to confirm with the person involved, Johnny Kitagawa, it is not easy for us to definitively say whether we acknowledge or deny individual accusations," and "Furthermore, we ask for understanding as we must also consider secondary damage such as defamation based on speculation." Japanese media criticized this as evading responsibility.

The late Johnny Kitagawa, former president of Johnny's.

President Fujishima announced plans to establish a "Compliance Committee" for agency-wide legal compliance as a measure to prevent recurrence and to recruit outside directors. She stated, "We will bring in outside directors who can point out whether we are judging only by internal values and common sense, and fundamentally review the management system."

However, the investigation through a third-party committee, which Johnny & Associates idol fans had demanded as a recurrence prevention measure, was excluded. Fujishima explained, "Because there may be people who do not want to speak during the investigation phase. External experts also need to handle each listener's situation and psychological burden carefully, so we decided to choose another method." On the 11th, a group of fans demanding a fact-finding investigation submitted 16,125 signatures to the agency, insisting on the necessity of a third-party investigation.

In Japan, public outrage has been sparked by the fact that this issue only surfaced after more than 30 years. Johnny Kitagawa's sexual harassment was first reported by the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun in the 1990s, but the agency countered by suing Shukan Bunshun. It is pointed out that because Johnny & Associates was a major agency with full control extending even to broadcasters, it was possible to conceal the incident.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Masahiko Motoki, a reporter who exposed this issue to Kodansha's magazine Shukan Gendai, was later demoted after Johnny & Associates notified him that "from now on, Kodansha-affiliated magazines cannot cover Johnny & Associates talents." Since major Japanese media companies also own TV channels, they had no choice but to be cautious of Johnny & Associates during casting, making it unlikely that this issue would be reported by mainstream media rather than magazines like Shukan Bunshun.

The renewed attention to this case came after the British BBC aired a one-hour documentary covering Kitagawa's alleged sexual harassment of minors. Only after global criticism formed did former Johnny & Associates trainees begin to speak out. On the 12th of last month, a male former trainee held a press conference and testified that he was sexually assaulted multiple times at Kitagawa's home and elsewhere.

Reporter Motoki analyzed the continued disclosures by victims, saying, "In Japan's culture, it is difficult for a mid-teen boy to say he was sexually abused," and "Since idols are popular, confessing such facts would cause fear of losing fans, making it hard to expose."

Meanwhile, even after the agency president's apology, the controversy is unlikely to calm down easily. Currently, among fans, a boycott movement has arisen against sponsor companies that advertise with Johnny & Associates and its talents. They argue that even if their favorite idols appear in advertisements, they must show through boycotts their desire to change the ecosystem of Japanese idols.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.