Japan firms cut ties with boyband agency over sex abuse

Japan firms cut ties with boyband agency over sex abuse
Japan firms cut ties with boyband agency over sex abuse

We show you our most important and recent visitors news details Japan firms cut ties with boyband agency over sex abuse in the following article

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - TOKYO — Major Japanese brands are cutting ties with the country's biggest talent agency after it was engulfed by a sexual abuse scandal.

Firms including Nissan and Asahi say they will not renew any contracts with Johnny and Associates.

Toyota, which previously had a contract with one of its top stars, told the BBC it had no plans to sign any more deals featuring Johnny talents.

Japan's agriculture ministry has also said it would stop hiring the stars.

Johnny and Associates is Japan's biggest J-pop and boyband talent agency.

Last month, an independent investigation into the agency found its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa, had abused hundreds of boys and young men over a six-decade career as one of the most powerful entertainment figures in Japan.

A BBC documentary about Kitagawa was aired in March, prompting national debate and more J-pop stars to report their experiences of abuse.

Public pressure eventually led to the resignation earlier this month of Julie Fujishima, Kitagawa's niece who became the boss of Johnny & Associates when her uncle died in 2019.

Her resignation came after she publicly acknowledged for the first time the sexual abuse committed by her uncle.

The following day, drinks giant Asahi Group Holdings announced it would pull ongoing television and online advertisements featuring the agency's stars.

"We should not book sales, even one yen, at the expense of human rights," its president, Atsushi Katsuki told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

Several other major brands followed.

Nissan Motors told the BBC: "Due to conduct by Johnny & Associates that contravenes our Human Rights Policy Statement, we will refrain from developing new sales promotion materials using that talent agency until further notice."

Some of the criticism includes how the agency's new boss, Noriyuki Higashiyama, also faces allegations of sexually assaulting young boys.

Others have questioned why the firm has chosen to retain the name of a sexual predator.

Until his death, Kitagawa remained a celebrated household name in Japan despite reports about his crimes.

He held the world record for the most number-one artists, the most number-one singles, and the most concerts produced by an individual.

But following the investigation, Guinness World Records announced it had removed his achievements from its official website.

Last month, a United Nations working group visited Japan and its chair, Damilola Olawuyi, also urged the government to carry out a "transparent and legitimate investigation with a clear timeline" while accusing the country's mainstream media of staying silent about the alleged abuse for decades.

The male-only talent agency dominated the entertainment industry until recently, with TV stations afraid to lose access to Johnny's talent, industry observers say.

But public opinion has shifted dramatically in recent months.

There has been growing pressure on TV shows to drop Johnny's stars from their programming while many companies are postponing their decisions whether to sponsor their shows.

Some artists who were represented by Johnny and Associates have also defected to other agencies. — BBC


These were the details of the news Japan firms cut ties with boyband agency over sex abuse for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.

It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Saudi Gazette and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.

NEXT US military raises alert level for Europe bases: reports

Author Information

I am Jeff King and I’m passionate about business and finance news with over 4 years in the industry starting as a writer working my way up into senior positions. I am the driving force behind Al-KhaleejToday.NET with a vision to broaden the company’s readership throughout 2016. I am an editor and reporter of “Financial” category. Address: 383 576 Gladwell Street Longview, TX 75604, USA Phone: (+1) 903-247-0907 Email: [email protected]