An investigation conducted by the U.N. Human Rights Council has revealed that Johnny Kitagawa, the late and longtime head of the Japanese show business industry, was responsible for the abuse of hundreds of boys. Furthermore, the agency he founded, Johnny & Associates Inc., has failed to take responsibility for these crimes. Pichamon Yeophantong, a member of the U.N. working group that visited Japan, criticized both the government and the agency for their lack of action in addressing the issue. Yeophantong emphasized the government’s role as the primary duty bearer in ensuring transparent investigations of perpetrators and providing effective remedies for the victims.
The working group expressed deep concern over the state of the Japanese media and entertainment industry, highlighting the absence of codes and rules regarding workplace behavior. This lack of regulation contributes to a culture of impunity surrounding sexual violence and harassment.
Johnny Kitagawa, originally born as John Hiromu Kitagawa in Los Angeles in 1931, had a turbulent upbringing, moving back and forth between L.A. and Tokyo. He began working at the U.S. embassy in Japan during the 1950s, where he recruited a group of teenagers to form a boyband called “Johnnys.” In 1962, Kitagawa founded Johnny & Associates Inc., which played a significant role in creating the phenomenon of idol groups in Japan. The agency exclusively managed male talent and was responsible for the success of several megastar groups, including SMAP and Arashi.
One former staff member who worked closely with Kitagawa at the agency described him as a sexual abuser who used the idol empire he created to groom young boys for their showbiz careers. While the recent spotlight on Kitagawa’s crimes followed a BBC documentary titled “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop” that aired in March, his abusive behavior had long been an open secret in Japan. Weekly magazines reported on these allegations, but they were often covered up by major media groups.
Related Post
The first allegations against Kitagawa were published in a March 1965 issue of the now-defunct magazine Shukan Sankei. Additional reports from victims were featured in Shukan Gendai in April 1981. In the 1990s, former talent from Johnnys published books containing accounts of abuse they had experienced or witnessed. In 1999, Shukan Bunshun ran a series outlining graphic accounts of rape by Kitagawa from a dozen victims. Kitagawa sued the publisher for libel and initially won damages in the Tokyo District Court in 2002. However, the Tokyo High Court later partially overturned the decision, reducing the damages and acknowledging the truth in the abuse allegations.
The media landscape in Japan played a significant role in covering up Kitagawa’s crimes. All major newspapers in Japan belong to media groups that include television and radio networks. Kitagawa had complete control over the narrative surrounding himself and his stars and would threaten to cut off access to his talent if any negative coverage was published. This fear of losing access to his agency’s stable of talent prevented major media groups from extensively reporting on the abuse allegations.
When Kitagawa passed away in 2019, the deputy chief cabinet secretary at the time, Kotaro Nogami, paid tribute to him, acknowledging his contributions to the entertainment industry and his role in training many idols. However, since the airing of the BBC documentary and subsequent media coverage in Japan, numerous victims have come forward, shedding light on the previously anonymous accounts published in weekly magazines.
Prominent Japanese entertainer Takeshi Kitano also commented on the Kitagawa scandal, stating at the Cannes Film Festival that the time had finally come for Japan to address issues of LGBTQ rights and sexual harassment. Kitano acknowledged that stories of abuse had always existed within the industry.
However, there still remains a reluctance in fully accepting the magnitude of the crimes committed and the complicity of the media and entertainment businesses in facilitating pedophilia. Some individuals, including U.S.-born Japanese TV talent Dave Spector and Dewi Sukarno, a regular on Japanese TV, have criticized the documentary’s tone and cast doubt on why the abuse allegations were not reported earlier if they were of such concern.
The U.N. working group’s investigation has shed light on the widespread abuse inflicted upon boys by the late Johnny Kitagawa and the failure of his agency, the Japanese government, and the media to take appropriate action. It is crucial for the government and industry to address these issues transparently, investigate perpetrators, and provide effective remedies for the victims in order to bring justice and prevent future instances of abuse.
