For the first time, Julie Fujishima, the later Johnny Kitagawa’s daughter, has resigned as president of the most influential skills organization in Japan and admitted to the sexual abuse her brother committed.
Is Japan a place where horror exists? No, there isn’t.
” All knew, but no one did anything about it, and now it’s suddenly all out in the open ,” is the more accurate statement.
These allegations of sexual abuse have lingered over Kitagawa for centuries, and anyone who attempted to speak up was silenced. They faced off against a titan in the entertainment sector who had access to all the legal battles his kingdom could muster.
Keep in mind that he was never charged, but some of the accusations were established in a polite jury.
Physical prey Johnny Kitagawa. He had power, victory, and the aspirations of hundreds of young kids in his hands. He was also a star-maker and leader to the biggest brands in the J-pop scene around.
This was the” unspoken price for stardom ,” as one article put it, if you were a Japanese teenage boy trying to break into the business.
Because of his skill, this gentleman was feared and revered.
The new supervisor Noriyuki Higashiyama is featured on the front pages of many of Friday’s magazines.
One article claimed that” My father Johnny’s sexual misuse.” Johnny Kitagawa was referred to as a leader by Mr. Higashiyama, who said,” He was like my father.”
He told investigators,” I know some people would say this is grooming, but this’s how I feel.”
Physical abuse allegations have tarnished Kitagawa’s career for years, and for decades, the media hasn’t covered the allegations.
A blogger discussed the need to look at not only the culture in the skill agency but also the advertising practices that amounted to cover-up in an afternoon talk show on the TBS network.
We need to consider why the internet hasn’t covered this, he said.
You may counter that power is the obvious solution. Imagine Harvey Weinstein, a shamed manufacturer, at the top of his Hollywood hegemony prior to being found guilty of rape and sentenced to prison.
Not only did Johnny Kitagawa control the talent at the agency, but he also controlled the channels that clamoured to attribute his bands and the advertisers who supported and paid the networks. The entertainment industry and the internet are intertwined, and Johnny Kitagawa was in charge.
Another aspect in explaining why this continued for so long and on such a large scale is Japan’s society of shame and silence regarding sexual abuse.
People in Japan may experience retaliation when they speak out about physical assaults that have been committed against them.
Get that and multiply it by a number of layers of complexity brought on by same-sex abuse committed by an older, more strong man against young boys who were vying for attention and place in his great books.
It’s difficult to predict how this will impact the Japanese pleasure sector. At the J-pop talent agency, which is regarded as the foundation of boyband society here, but much needs to change.
However, the business’s effort at a” fresh site” hasn’t off to such an encouraging start. The new employer, Mr. Higashiyama, is being questioned about alleged sexual wrongdoing.
He said,” I don’t remember clearly ,” in response to the accusations. It might have happened or it might not have. I have a hard time recalling.
Julie Fujishima has resigned, but she still holds 100 % of the stock and continues to serve as the official director to handle the victims’ compensation.
The business name is one thing that hasn’t changed much. Some victims, who have said that it’s insulting to keep it after what they’ve been through, have expressed surprise and dismay.
Johnny and Associates may have once been associated with pleasure and Japan’s J-pop culture, but today this disgraced company bears the name of a man who is to blame for the country in which there has been the biggest sexual victimization scandal.
