a team Investigating allegations of sexual assault The late founder of a powerful boy band talent agency found the allegations credible and on Tuesday called for reparations for victims and the resignation of its current chief executive.
A three-month investigation which included interviews with 23 victimsconcluded that Johnny Kitagawa sexually assaulted and abused boys as early as the 1950s, targeting at least hundreds of people.
The investigative team said Johnny & Associates must apologize, strengthen compliance measures and educate employees on human rights. Chief executive Julie Keiko Fujishima had to resign after years of inaction, the task force said. Kitagawa died in 2019 but was never charged.
“The company’s cover-up has led to uncontrolled sexual abuse for a long time,” Lin Cheng, the head of the investigation team, told reporters in Tokyo. “There are many opportunities for action.”
Critics say what happened at the Tokyo-based Johnnys Co. highlights a lag in Japan’s awareness of rape, sexual harassment and human rights. Public opinion is often unsympathetic to those who claim to be the target of sexual predators.
In the Johnny case, about a dozen men have come forward in recent months to accuse Kitagawa of sexual abuseThe agency’s founder, who began acting as a teenager. More are expected to come forward, the report said.
So far, Fujishima has only apologized for “disappointment and concern” in a brief online video ’ for that matter. It’s unclear if she will resign.
In a statement, the company reiterated its previous apology and promised to hold a press conference after studying the team’s report.
Although rumors of Johnny’s abuse have circulated for years and several exposing books have been published, Japan’s mainstream media has remained silent.
Serious questions resurfaced this year after BBC News produced a special segment dedicated to several people who claimed to be Kitagawa’s victims.
Another turning point occurred earlier this month As UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights Urges Japanese Government to Take Action. The group also accused Japan’s mainstream media of what it called a “cover-up”.
According to the allegations, Kitagawa required budding singers and dancers, many of them children, to live in his mansion. Those who spoke told the panel that when he told one of them to go to bed early, everyone knew “it’s your turn.”
The boys were raped by Kitagawa when they were 14 or 15 and given 10,000 yen (about $100) bills, the report said. It added that victims feared they would be punished if they refused.
It recommends that more people come forward, promising that their privacy will be protected and that no substantial evidence of sexual assault will be required.
Those who spoke out said they were painfully traumatized, unable to tell anyone, not even family, and still suffered from memories and depression, the report said.
Svlook
