Japanese Government Steps into the Johnny's Scandal... "New Consultation Window Established for Male Sexual Exploitation Victims"

Installation of Hotline for Male and Boys' Sexual Violence Victim Counseling
Government Responds to UN Human Rights Council's Visit and Investigation

In response to the issue of sexual exploitation of minors that occurred at the Japanese entertainment agency Johnny's, the Japanese government has taken urgent measures, including establishing a consultation hotline for male and boy victims of sexual exploitation.

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 27th, the Japanese government announced an emergency plan to address sexual exploitation the day before. The government will set up a hotline next month for male and boy victims of sexual violence to receive telephone consultations, and will establish a 'one-stop' system where local government agencies handle consultations and responses directly without going through other institutions.

Former 'Johnny's Jr.' Member Holding a Press Conference on Sexual Abuse
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, considering the culture in the arts and entertainment industry where victims may find it difficult to speak out due to reasons such as debuting, a separate consultation window for harassment in the cultural and artistic fields will be established. Lawyers will be stationed to provide legal advice and assist in connecting victims to relevant organizations.

The Japanese government's direct involvement in the issue of male sexual exploitation appears to be a response to the Johnny's minor sexual exploitation problem expanding into a global issue.

In March, the British BBC broadcast an investigative documentary revealing that the late founder Johnny Kitagawa, who passed away in 2019, sexually assaulted young male trainees. Following this, three victims came forward in media interviews to disclose additional details of their abuse. Although Japanese media such as Shukan Bunshun had reported on this issue multiple times since 1999, it had not been publicly acknowledged and was largely buried.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the situation changed when the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) launched an investigation. Since Johnny's produced globally popular idol groups such as SMAP and Arashi, the controversy spread both inside and outside Japan.

The UNHCR's Working Group on Business and Human Rights has been visiting Japan since the 24th to conduct an on-site investigation. The investigation will continue until the 4th of next month, during which the group plans to conduct interviews with sexual violence victims and examine how the Japanese government and corporations fulfill their human rights obligations and oversee cases of human rights violations. There is also a possibility that the Japanese government will face accountability not only for Johnny's but for broader human rights issues.

Since the victims of sexual violence were young male trainees, the Japanese government is also considering introducing a system to verify that applicants for jobs in child-related industries have no history of sexual offenses. Masanobu Ogura, Minister in charge of Measures for Declining Birthrate, stated, "Child sexual abuse often goes unreported and buried, and children may suffer from trauma for a long time. We will immediately implement measures starting with what we can do."

Furthermore, the government plans to inform the public about the purpose and content of the recently introduced 'non-consensual intercourse crime (non-consensual rape crime)' through amendments to the Penal Code, and to implement safety education in schools nationwide to prevent sexual violence. Nikkei reported, "The background for the government preparing emergency measures is the increased public interest following the sexual harassment case involving the former representative Johnny Kitagawa."

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