Johnny's finally apologizes for sexual exploitation scandal

Amid suspicions that the late Johnny Kitagawa, the CEO of Johnny's, who was known as a big name in the Japanese entertainment industry, sexually exploited trainees during his lifetime, the current CEO of Johnny's has apologized.

A number of Japanese media outlets, including Nippon Keizai, reported on the 15th (hereinafter Korean time), "Keiko Fujishima, nephew of Kitagawa and current CEO of Johnny's, apologized in video and writing on the 14th."

In the video, Geico's president said, "I sincerely apologize for causing an uproar in the world due to the founder's sexual assault issue. I deeply apologize to those who complained of harm. I also apologize for causing disappointment and anxiety to officials and fans." He continued, “We will answer questions received from various sources in writing in the future.”

On the 7th, the BBC, a British public broadcaster, reported a victim's revelation that she had been sexually abused by Kitagawa in the documentary 'Predators of Japanese J-Pop'. Kitagawa established ‘Johnny’s Office’, one of Japan’s largest entertainment agencies, in 1962 and took the lead in nurturing male idols. He is the person who planned groups such as Smarf and Arashi, which are also known in Korea. He died of a stroke in 2019 at the age of 87.

In a BBC documentary, a man named 'Hayashi' revealed that he was sexually assaulted by Kitagawa when he was a teenager. Hayashi is said to have first met Kitagawa when he was 15 years old when he submitted his resume to Johnny's office and auditioned. He confessed that he was called to a place called a 'dormitory' and suffered unforgettable pain even to this day. At that time, the 'dormitory' was one of Kitagawa's houses, and it is said that many boys stayed together. Hayashi said, "Kitagawa told me to take a bath. He cleaned my whole body like I was a doll," and then claimed that Kitagawa had committed a sexual crime against him. This kind of sexual crime occurred in other situations and other boys were aware of it, but they shrugged it off, saying, 'If you don't endure it, you won't succeed.'

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr