A team investigating allegations of sexual assault by the late founder of a powerful talent agency for male groups found the allegations credible, calling for compensation for victims and the resignation of the current chief executive.
A three-month investigation, which included speaking to 23 victims, concluded that Johnny Kitagawa sexually assaulted and abused boys as early as the 1950s and targeted at least several hundred people.
The investigative panel said Johnny & Associates must apologize, strengthen compliance measures and educate its ranks about human rights.
Julie Keiko Fujishima, the chief executive, must resign for years of inaction, according to the special force.
Kitagawa died in 2019 and was never charged.
“The closure of the company caused sexual abuse to continue unchecked for so long,” investigative team leader Makoto Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “There are many opportunities to take action.”
A three-month investigation concluded that Johnny Kitagawa (not seen above) sexually assaulted boys as early as the 1950s and targeted at least several hundred people.AP
Critics say what happened at Johnny’s, a Tokyo-based company, highlights Japan’s lagging awareness of rape, sexual harassment and human rights.
Public opinion is often unsympathetic towards people who say they were the targets of sexual predators.
In Johnny’s case, about a dozen men have come forward in recent months to allege sexual abuse by Kitagawa, the agency’s founder, while performing as a teenager. More people are expected to come forward, the report said.
“The closure of the company caused sexual abuse to continue unchecked for so long,” investigative team leader Makoto Hayashi (center) told reporters in Tokyo. “There are many opportunities to take action.” AP
Fujishima has so far only apologized in a brief online video for his “disappointment and concern” over the case.
It is unclear whether he will resign.
Although rumors of abuse at Johnny’s have circulated for years and several books of the story have been published, Japan’s mainstream media has remained silent.
The investigative panel said Johnny & Associates must apologize, strengthen compliance measures and educate its ranks about human rights. AP
Serious questions arose again this year after BBC News produced a special segment focused on several people who claimed to be Kitagawa’s victims.
Another turning point came earlier this month when the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights urged the Japanese government to take action.
The group also accused Japan’s mainstream media of what it called “research”.
Pichamon Yeophantong, (left), and Damilola Olawuyi (right), members of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, speak at the Japan National Press Club on the care of Kitagawa in Tokyo, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023.AP
According to the indictment, Kitagawa asked young singers and dancers, mostly children, to live in his luxury home.
When he tells one of them to go to bed early, everyone knows it’s “your turn,” those who have spoken up told the panel.
The boys were raped by Kitagawa when they were 14 or 15 and given 10,000 yen (about $100) bills afterward, the report said.
Kitagawa died on July 9, 2019 at the age of 87.Getty Images
It added that victims fear they will be punished if they refuse.
It recommends more people come forward, and promises that their privacy will be protected and no material evidence of sexual assault is required.
Those who spoke out said they had experienced painful trauma, had been unable to tell anyone, not even family, and still suffered from flashbacks and depression, the report said.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
