"Japan’s J-pop predator - exposed for abuse but still revered" 6 March 2023

Warning: Contains details some readers may find upsetting

Johnny Kitagawa was the architect of Japanese pop-idol culture. His male-only talent agency, Johnny & Associates, churned out hit-making boy bands and Kitagawa held the world record for the most number-one artists, the most number-one singles, and the most concerts produced by an individual.

But allegations of sexual exploitation dogged Kitagawa's career. These weren't just whispers behind closed doors - they were discussed in the national press and some were proven in a civil court. That didn't stop Kitagawa holding national treasure status to his last days. Even in death, he is revered.

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Thousands of boys and young men went through the Johnny & Associates machine while Kitagawa was alive. All of them had direct contact with the man himself, who scouted and nurtured talent over a career spanning nearly six decades.

The system Kitagawa created allowed him unsupervised access to - and control over - boys. Known as "juniors", new recruits worked as backing dancers for other bands until Kitagawa decided they were ready to debut - and move into the world of managers and PR. That could take years.

Hayashi (not his real name) was 15 years old when he sent his CV to Johnny & Associates. His first impression of Kitagawa, who he met at his audition, was that he was "kind and considerate". But things quickly turned.

Hayashi has never spoken publicly about his experiences before and is understandably nervous about recounting his ordeal.

Just a week after the first meeting, Hayashi was invited to stay at one of Kitagawa's homes, known as "the dormitory" because so many boys would sleep over. "After a while Johnny told me, 'Go and have a bath.' He washed my whole body, like I was a doll," he says.

Visibly shaken, he recalls Kitagawa then performing oral sex on him.

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Stories similar to Hayashi's have been reported before.

In 1999, two reporters from the respected weekly current affairs magazine Bunshun met a teenage boy who claimed to have been abused by Kitagawa. The boy joined the agency when he was at secondary school and the sexual abuse started soon after.

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Despite the damning testimonies, the series of articles barely registered in the public consciousness.

The co-dependent relationship between the Japanese press and the Kitagawa empire potentially goes a long way to explain why the story has been ignored.

Securing access to talent from Johnny & Associates attracts viewers, readers, listeners and advertising revenue.

Promoting the agency's boy bands can win favours, including access to bigger, more established names. And saying something negative about the pop idols or the company could have the opposite effect - being cut off from the empire and all the revenue it can attract.

Perhaps this is why most news outlets didn't even acknowledge the story about Kitagawa's misconduct.

When the reports were published, Johnny & Associates stopped Bunshun and its sister publications from speaking to any of their talent. And in 2000, a year after the magazine's investigation, Kitagawa and his company sued for libel.

The proceedings lasted for four years and featured testimony from many of the men who said Kitagawa had abused them as children.

The Tokyo High Court eventually ruled that nine out of the 10 claims made in the Bunshun article were in fact true, including the claim that Johnny was sexually abusing minors in his agency. Only the allegation that Kitagawa had provided them with cigarettes and alcohol was not found to be true.

But the verdict was met with more silence, and the libel case didn't lead to a criminal trial. Kitagawa was never charged and went on to serve as the president of his company until he died in 2019.

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Today, Johnny & Associates remains a hugely powerful agency in the world of J-pop, and Kitagawa is still celebrated as its figurehead. A giant artwork of his face - based on one of the very few photos of him - hangs in the reception of the Tokyo headquarters. The current company president, Julie Fujishima, is Johnny's niece.

After multiple requests for comment, Fujishima issued a statement: "Since the death of our former representative in 2019, we are working to establish highly transparent organisational structures adapting to the times in compliance with laws, regulations and strengthened governance with impartial experts. We are planning the announcement and implementation of new structures and systems in 2023."

She did not directly respond to the allegations of sexual abuse.

There has been no public acknowledgment that Johnny Kitagawa sexually abused boys and young men.[...]

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