Wikipedia

Johnny Kitagawa

John Hiromu Kitagawa (Japanese name Hiromu Kitagawa (喜多川 擴, Kitagawa Hiromu); October 23, 1931 – July 9, 2019), known professionally as Johnny Kitagawa (ジャニー喜多川, Janī Kitagawa), was a Japanese business magnate, promoter and record producer. He was best known as the founder of Johnny & Associates, a talent agency for numerous popular boy bands in Japan. He held the Guinness World Records for the most No. 1 artists, the most No. 1 singles, and the most concerts produced by an individual.[1]

Johnny Kitagawa
ジャニー喜多川
Born
John Hiromu Kitagawa

(1931-10-23)October 23, 1931
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 9, 2019(2019-07-09) (aged 87)
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Occupations
  • Business magnate
  • promoter
  • record producer
Known forFounder of Johnny & Associates
Relatives
Musical career
Genres
Years active1968–2019

Kitagawa assembled, produced and managed more than a dozen popular bands, including Tanokin Trio, Hey! Say! JUMP, SMAP, Arashi, Kanjani8, V6, NEWS and KAT-TUN. Kitagawa's influence spread beyond music to the realms of theatre and television. Regarded as one of the most powerful figures in the Japanese entertainment industry, he held a virtual monopoly on the creation of boy bands in Japan for more than 40 years.[2] Kitagawa also founded the idol trainee system, where talents are signed on to the agency and trained until they are ready to debut professionally, which has been adopted by other idol industries. Kitagawa himself avoided the public spotlight. He rarely permitted his photograph to be taken, and did not make public appearances with his groups. A memorial concert was held after his death in 2019, with 154 of Kitagawa's artists and other celebrities in attendance.

From 1988 to 2000, Kitagawa was the subject of a number of claims that he had taken advantage of his position to engage in improper sexual relationships with boys under contract to his talent agency, though no criminal charges were ever filed against him. In 2023, four years after his death, his sexual abuse was publicised more widely after a report concluded that he committed sexual abuse from the early 1970s until the mid-2010s, including the rape of hundreds of boys who were members of Johnny & Associates before their debut.[3][4] As of 2023, a reported number of 478 persons have claimed to have been victimized by Kitagawa, of those, 325 sought compensation, and only 150 have been confirmed to have belonged in the company.[5] Later in the year, Johnny & Associates announced its name would change to Smile Up, and that anything bearing the name "Johnny", such as related companies and performing groups, would be changed to remove Kitagawa's name.

Early life

edit

John Hiromu Kitagawa[6] was born in 1931 in Los Angeles, California, United States, Johnny Kitagawa returned with his family to Japan in 1933. His father Rev. Taido Kitagawa was a Buddhist priest and the third head bishop of the Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo from 1924 to 1933.[7] His older sister was Mary Yasuko Fujishima.[8] Kitagawa taught English to orphans from the Korean War for the United States Army.[8] In the early 1950s, he returned to Japan to work at the United States Embassy. While walking through Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, he encountered a group of boys playing baseball. He recruited them to form a singing group, acting as their manager. He named the group "Johnnys".[2]

Johnnys achieved a measure of success by using a then-novel formula of mixing attractive performers singing popular music with coordinated dance routines. Johnnys were the first all-male pop group in Japan, and set the pattern that Kitagawa followed with his subsequent acts.[2] The term "Johnny's" came to apply generically to any of the performers under Kitagawa's employ.[2] Concurrently, he graduated from Sophia University and received his bachelor's degree in International Studies.

Career

edit

Founding Johnny & Associates

edit
 
Headquarter of Johnny & Associates

In 1968, Kitagawa achieved wider success with a four-member boy band known as Four Leaves. The song and dance group met with success, as reflected by seven consecutive appearances on the annual invitation-only Kōhaku Uta Gassen, beginning in 1970.[9] Four Leaves performed together for ten years before disbanding in 1978. In 2002, Kitagawa oversaw the band's reunion.[9] Kitagawa went on to assemble, produce and manage many of the top all-male bands in Japan, including groups such as Hey! Say! JUMP, SMAP, Tokio, V6, Arashi, Tackey & Tsubasa, Kanjani8, NEWS, KAT-TUN, and KinKi Kids among many others.[2]

Kitagawa was able to expand his sphere of influence to television, as his performers regularly appeared on television, with many appearing on their own variety programs. They regularly acted as pitchmen for commercial products, and appeared in movies.[10][11] The success of Kitagawa's performers led to increased profitability, and Johnny & Associates generated 2.9 billion yen in annual profits at the height of the boy band boom.[10] In 1997, performers belonging to the talent agency appeared in more than 40 television programs, and another 40 commercials.[10][12] The success of his company made Kitagawa one of the richest men in Japan.[13] He held the Guinness World Records for the most No. 1 artists, the most No. 1 singles, and the most concerts produced by an individual.[1]

The formula

edit

Kitagawa repeatedly employed a standard formula in the development and marketing of his acts.[14] Johnny & Associates held open tryouts for potential performers. The production agency recruited boys as young as ten into a talent pool known as Johnny's Juniors.[2] Successful applicants lived in a company dormitory and attended a company-run school. They trained to hone their showmanship in the form of singing, dancing and acting.[11] Kitagawa held an annual summer festival known as "Johnny's Summary".

I'm not very interested in records. Once you release a record, you have to sell that record. You have to push one song only. You can't think of anything else. It's not good for the artist.

—Johnny Kitagawa, June 1996[15]

Promising members of Johnny's Jr. appeared alongside established members of Kitagawa's stable of entertainers. The junior members acted as background dancers for the major acts, to allow for name recognition prior to being launched as a separate group.[2] The members of the Juniors appeared in on Hachi-ji da J, a weekly television variety show. Members sang, danced, and performed in comedic sketches as they further developed the skills to graduate to a major act.[16]

Kitagawa's focus was on the development of his groups as complete entertainers. Shonentai, for example, did not release a single until it had been together for more than seven years.[15] In a 1996 interview, Kitagawa said "I'm not very interested in records. Once you release a record, you have to sell that record. You have to push one song only. You can't think of anything else. It's not good for the artist."[15]

Once launched, Kitagawa was known to use his established groups to induce television stations to report on his newer acts, and ensure favorable press coverage for his acts and himself.[11][13] Programs that gave unfavorable coverage did not receive interviews or television appearance from popular stars managed by Kitagawa.[12] Kitagawa maintained a high degree of control over his acts,[2][17] to the extent that their images did not appear on the company website.[2] Performers were expected to maintain a public image that was conducive to marketing to young women. As a result, members of bands produced by Kitagawa avoided public mention of their private lives.[17] Kitagawa himself avoided the public spotlight. He rarely permitted his photograph to be taken, and did not make public appearances with his groups.[2][17]

Death

edit

On July 9, 2019, Kitagawa died at a hospital in Tokyo after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage stroke on June 18, at the age of 87.[18][19][20] A memorial concert was held on September 4, 2019, at the Tokyo Dome, with 154 of Johnny's artists and other celebrities in attendance, including Akiko Wada and Dewi Sukarno.[21][22] His body was cremated, and his ashes were distributed to several people, including Masahiro Nakai.[23]

Following Kitagawa's death in 2019, Johnny & Associates began expanding accessibility for their talent.[24] This included the opening of an official Twitter account for itself (which shared information about Johnny's talent, mostly in English), as well as different social media accounts for the artists.[25][26][27][28]

Sexual abuse by Kitagawa

edit
Main article: Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal

Allegations made during Kitagawa's lifetime

edit

In the early 1960s, Kitagawa was accused of sexually assaulting students at Shin Geino Gakuin, a talent training school located in Toshima Ward, Tokyo. In 1988, former Four Leaves member Koji Kita alleged in his book Dear Hikaru Genji that he had been propositioned by Kitagawa and that Kitagawa operated a casting couch.[29] In 1989, Johnnys member Ryo Nakatani published similar allegations in his book Johnny's Revenge.[30] In 1996, former Johnny Jr.'s member Junya Hiramoto alleged in his book All About Johnnys that Kitagawa shared the boys' communal dormitory and insisted on washing their backs at bath time.[29]

In 2001, Shūkan Bunshun ran a series of similar sexual harassment allegations along with claims that Kitagawa had allegedly forced the boys to drink alcohol and smoke.[29][31][32][33] Johnny & Associates sued Shukan Bunshunfor defamation, and in 2002, the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of Kitagawa, awarding him ¥8.8 million in damages.[29][31] In 2003, the fine was lowered to ¥1.2 million on the basis that the drinking and smoking allegations were defamatory, while the sexual harassment claims were not.[31] Kitagawa filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Japan. It was rejected in 2004.[34] The case saw minimal coverage in Japan, with many journalists attributing it to Kitagawa's influence on Japanese mass media.[6][35] In 2023, The Asahi Shimbun speculated that the Japanese media also initially did not take the news seriously because men were not seen as sexual assault victims at the time and thus the news was seen as "gossip"; and because Shūkan Bunshun had lost the initial lawsuit.[30] Altogether, there were at least eight books and magazine articles about the abuse before the 2023 BBC documentary.[36]

Sexual abuse scandal

edit

In March 2023, the BBC released a documentary centered on the sexual abuse claims against Kitagawa, Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop, presented by Mobeen Azhar. In response, Johnny & Associates stated that they were creating "transparent organizational structures" that would be announced later in the year.[3]

In April 2023, musician and former Johnny's Jr. member Kauan Okamoto told a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan that he had been subjected to sexual abuse by Kitagawa on a number of occasions between 2012 and 2016, and called on the management to acknowledge the misconduct.[37] Okamoto estimated that between 100 and 200 boys were invited to Kitagawa's home during his time at Johnny's, and claimed that when Kitagawa told one of his guests to go to bed early, everyone knew "it was your turn".[38][39] In response to Okamoto's press conference, Johnny & Associates released a statement saying that it would "continue its unified effort to thoroughly ensure compliance without exception, and tackle strengthening of a system of governance," but the company did not directly address the allegations at the time.[39] Later that month, NHK reported that Johnny & Associates was interviewing their employees and talent, and had sent a document out to business partners saying that they were looking into the allegations. The document said that the company took the allegations seriously and that their investigations so far had uncovered no cases of misconduct, adding that they were aware that such in-house interviews were not enough to uncover the truth.[40] After the press conference, NHK reported on the abuse on April 13. This was the first television report on the scandal by NHK.[41]

On May 14, 2023, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Kitagawa's niece and president of Johnny & Associates, issued an apology to those who had alleged sexual abuse by Kitagawa. She added that she was committed to implementing measures addressing the victims' needs.[42] Two days after Johnny & Associates released their statement, Okamoto and the former Johnny's Jr. Yasushi Hashida, along with Okamoto attended a parliamentary meeting at the National Diet organized by the Constitutional Democratic Party. Hashida said that he was sexually abused around twice by Kitagawa when he was 13 years old.[43] Both Hashida and Okamoto credited coverage of the sexual abuse allegations by the foreign press as being key to paving the way for its coverage in the domestic press.[44][45]

In July 2023, the United Nations Human Rights Council investigated Kitagawa's abuse at the agency.[46][47] An independent probe established by Johnny & Associates reported the findings of their investigation on August 29, 2023, saying that Kitagawa repeatedly committed sexual abuse from the early 1970s until the mid-2010s.[48] On September 7, 2023, Johnny & Associates formally acknowledged Kitagawa's abuse for the first time.[49]

Aftermath

edit

On September 6, 2023, Guinness World Records decided to remove Kitagawa's achievement of producing the most top songs on the pop music chart from its official website. However, they did not eliminate his record titles, as he was never convicted.[50] This decision was accepted as a wise decision by the newly appointed president of Johnny & Associates, Higashiyama.[51] Companies such as Suntory and McDonald's which had previously contracted with Johnny & Associates for advertising or promotional campaigns decided to either retract or not renew their contracts with Johnny's artists as a response to Kitagawa's scandal. Suntory demanded plans of prevention and reparations for the victims as prerequisites of reestablishing partnership.[52][53]

Several major news outlets, including NHK, issued mea culpas in recognition of their years of silence that effectively allowed Kitagawa's sexual abuses to continue unabated.[54][55] Bungeishunjū and Mobeen Azhar were awarded in 2023 by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) for their coverage of the scandal. The FCCJ likened this scandal to the assassination of Shinzo Abe, citing media silence on the systemic abuses by organizations close to powerful figures.[56]

Several Japanese news outlets reported on October 1, 2023, that Johnny & Associates was considering creating a new company to manage its performers, while the current Johnny & Associates would change its name and continue to exist for the purpose of compensating abuse victims. It was also reported that Noriyuki Higashiyama, who became the head of Johnny & Associates after the resignation of Julie K. Fujishima, was also expected to head the new company.[57] On October 2, Johnny & Associates held a press conference to outline their plans, announcing that they would be renaming the current company to Smile Up–taking a name that they had used in their 2020 charity project–effective October 17.[58][59][60] Smile Up will continue to exist under the ownership of Fujishima and will eventually close down once all sexual abuse compensation requests, which numbered 325 at the time of the announcement, have been processed.[58]

Higashiyama told reporters that performers working under the new management company "will have the freedom to pursue their own career paths without being restricted or entirely dependent on the company."[58] It was also announced that anything bearing the name "Johnny", such as related companies and company sections like Johnny's Island and J-Storm and performing groups such as Johnny's West and Kanjani Eight, would undergo changes to remove any trace of the Johnny's name.[61] Higashiyama said that "all things with the Johnny's name will have to go," while Fujishima, who did not attend the October 2 press conference, said that she wanted to "erase all that remains of Johnny from this world."[59]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Zhan, Jennifer (October 7, 2023). "The Most Powerful Man in J-Pop's Sex-Abuse Scandal, Explained". Vulture. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Campion, Chris (August 21, 2005). "J-Pop's dream factory". The Guardian Music Observer Monthly. London. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Daly, Rhian (March 7, 2023). "Johnny Kitagawa: J-pop founder who faced decades of sexual abuse allegations". Rolling Stone UK. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse: Japan's worst kept secret". BBC News. September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "補償請求者325人中、在籍確認は約150人 ジャニーズ性加害". Mainichi (in Japanese). October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Schilling, Mark (July 18, 2019). "Johnny Kitagawa: Power, Abuse, and the Japanese Media Omerta". Variety. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  7. ^ Kazahaya, Katsuichi (1974). Koyasan Beikoku Betsuin 50 nen shi. pp. 138-9.
  8. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 28, 2019). "Johnny Kitagawa's Niece Takes Over as President of Johnny & Associates Talent Agency". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Four Leaves Taabo battling cancer". Japan Zone. January 19, 2009. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c McCurry, Justin (April 23, 2000). "Japan's star-maker accused of sexually abusing boys". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c Wallace, Bruce (January 28, 2007). "The story is written on this actor's face". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  12. ^ a b Sim, Calvins (January 30, 2000). "In Japan, Tarnishing a Star Maker". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Sims, Calvin (April 14, 2000). "Lawmakers In Japan Hear Grim Sex Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Hoban, Alex (February 11, 2009). "Turning Japanese: The seedy underworld of music moguls". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  15. ^ a b c McClure, Steve (1996). "You Look Like a Music Star". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 35. Nielsen Business Media. pp. 76–80. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  16. ^ Brasor, Phillip (September 15, 1999). "Young at heart, but never free of Johnny". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Brasor, Phillip (September 16, 2007). "They're fey, maybe not gay, but anyway, the 'talent' are coming out to play". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "Japanese entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa dies at age 87". Kyodo News. July 9, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  19. ^ "Japan boy band mogul Johnny Kitagawa dies at 87". BBC News. July 10, 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  20. ^ "Johnny Kitagawa, founder of agency that launched numerous boy bands, dead at 87". The Japan Times. July 10, 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  21. ^ "Celebrities mourn death of Johnny Kitagawa at Tokyo Dome memorial event". The Japan Times. September 4, 2019. Archived from the original on September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  22. ^ "Celebrities bid farewell to late Johnny Kitagawa". NHK World-Japan. September 4, 2019. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  23. ^ "中居正広は木村拓哉に「思い直接言う」ライブは…". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  24. ^ St. Michel, Patrick (December 26, 2019). "The dawn of a new era and a change in J-pop". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  25. ^ "ジャニーズ事務所、公式ツイッター始動か 海外ファンからも続々歓喜の声". Excite News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  26. ^ "ジャニーズ事務所、公式ツイッター始動か 海外ファンからも続々歓喜の声". Fumumu (in Japanese). June 3, 2021. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "Johnny & Associates on Twitter: 'Hello World!…'". Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  28. ^ "「痛々しい」「普通のおじさん」「ノリが無理」二宮和也、上田竜也、小山慶一郎、中丸雄一…SNS開設で「好感度上がった・下がった」ジャニーズたちの明暗分かれる". J Prime (in Japanese). April 13, 2023. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  29. ^ a b c d Campion, Chris (August 21, 2005). "J-Pop's dream factory". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  30. ^ a b "ジャニーズ事務所のメディアコントロール手法 「沈黙の螺旋」は破られるのか". Globe+ (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun. March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  31. ^ a b c Fukue, Natsuko (April 14, 2009). "So, you wanna be a Johnny?". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  32. ^ McCurry, Justin (April 23, 2000). "Japan's star-maker accused of sexually abusing boys". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  33. ^ Sims, Calvin (January 30, 2000). "In Japan, Tarnishing a Star Maker". The New York Times. p. 12. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  34. ^ West, Mark D. (January 15, 2007). Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States. University of Chicago Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-226-89408-9.
  35. ^ St. Michel, Patrick (July 10, 2019). "Johnny Kitagawa: The mogul who defined and controlled Japan's entertainment industry". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  36. ^ Igor Prusa (2023). "The Johnny's sex abuse scandal and the role of media in Japan". Contemporary Japan. 36: 126–144. doi:10.1080/18692729.2023.2290369.
  37. ^ "Ex-J-pop hopeful alleges sexual abuse by late music mogul Kitagawa". Kyodo News. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  38. ^ Schilling, Mark (April 12, 2023). "Johnny Kitagawa, Late Japanese Talent Mogul, Accused of Sexual Abuse by Former Teen Star Okamoto Kauan". Variety. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  39. ^ a b Kageyama, Yuri (April 12, 2023). "Musician Kauan Okamoto alleges talent manager assaulted him". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  40. ^ "Japanese talent agency looking into alleged sexual abuse by late president". NHK World-Japan. April 22, 2023. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  41. ^ "NHK、ジャニー喜多川元社長「性加害」報道も夕方枠のみ。「アリバイ作り」疑う声も". Sakisiru (in Japanese). April 14, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  42. ^ "Johnny's head apologizes for alleged sexual abuse by late Kitagawa". Kyodo News. May 14, 2023. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  43. ^ "New ex-member of Johnny's talent agency claims teenage sexual abuse". Kyodo News. May 16, 2023. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  44. ^ Benoza, Kathleen; Takahara, Kanako (May 16, 2023). "Outside forces ultimately put Johnny's abuse into public eye". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  45. ^ "Japan's top pop agency apologizes for alleged sexual abuse by late founder". CNN. May 16, 2023. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  46. ^ "U.N. human rights group to probe Johnny's agency sex abuse scandal". The Japan Times. July 12, 2023. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  47. ^ "U.N. Report Blasts Response to Johnny Kitagawa Sexual Abuse Scandal". The Hollywood Reporter. August 7, 2023. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  48. ^ "Johnny's talent agency probe urges apology, aid to sex abuse victims". Kyodo News. August 29, 2023. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  49. ^ "Johnny's talent agency admits sexual abuse by founder, head resigns". Kyodo News. September 7, 2023. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  50. ^ "ギネスワールドレコーズ ステートメント", Guinness World Records, September 6, 2023, archived from the original on September 15, 2023, retrieved September 16, 2023
  51. ^ "Guinness Deletes Johnny Kitagawa from Website; Higashiyama Calls Decision 'Wise", Yomiuri Shimbun, September 7, 2023, archived from the original on September 13, 2023, retrieved September 11, 2023
  52. ^ Inoue, Yukana (September 12, 2023). "More companies move away from Johnny's over sex abuse scandal". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  53. ^ Ryall, Julian (September 12, 2023). "Japan sex predator Johnny Kitagawa's talent agency faces spiralling crisis amid growing anger, advertiser boycott". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  54. ^ Kaneko, Karin (August 30, 2023), "Media respond to report on sexual abuse at Johnny and Associates", The Japan Times, archived from the original on September 17, 2023, retrieved September 11, 2023
  55. ^ "Japanese media apologize for ignoring sex abuse by top J-pop agent". CBC News. Reuters. September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  56. ^ Johnston, Eric (August 2023), "Solidarity with the voiceless", Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, archived from the original on August 21, 2023, retrieved August 21, 2023
  57. ^ "Johnny & Associates considering setting up new firm, sources say". NHK World-Japan. October 1, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  58. ^ a b c "Johnny's to change name, create new firm to manage its performers". Kyodo News. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  59. ^ a b Kageyama, Yuri (October 2, 2023). "Johnny's becomes Smile-Up. Japanese music company hit with sex abuse scandal takes on a new name". Associated Press. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  60. ^ "ジャニーズ事務所、社名「SMILE-UP.」に変更を発表 「喜多川氏と完全に決別する決意」再出発を誓う". Oricon (in Japanese). October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  61. ^ "東山紀之社長「ジャニーズと付くものはなくなります」所属グループの名称変更を断言＜会見＞". Model Press (in Japanese). October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

Further reading

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Johnny_Kitagawa&oldid=1263031541"