"Two more abusers at J-pop predator's company," 28 March 2024

Noriyuki Higashiyama told the BBC he believes there were two more perpetrators at Johnny Kitagawa's agency Johnny & Associates.

He believes these individuals are still alive...

Since a 2023 BBC investigation, nearly 1,000 men have come forward to say they were abused by Kitagawa.

Higashiyama told the BBC that an internal investigation by the former company in August 2023 had concluded that two people at Johnny & Associates were believed to have sexually abused talent.

He revealed that, to date, he has not contacted the authorities...

He says that he does not know if the survivors of abuse by the two perpetrators want to pursue criminal proceedings. "I don't even know who they are," he says...

Higashiyama, a former actor and Johnny & Associates talent, took on the job as Smile-Up's CEO. He has himself faced allegations of bullying and sexual abuse, which he denies.

Survivors of Kitagawa's abuse have criticised Smile-Up for having an opaque compensation process and for not acting quickly enough to engage with them. They say it seems to be an ad-hoc system with no defined timeline...

Smile-Up has itself cast doubt on some of the allegations. Days after being set up, the agency released a statement saying: "We have received information that there are cases in which people, who are most likely not victims, are telling false stories using the testimony of real victims."...