A team of United Nations inspectors has said it is “deeply alarmed” by the allegations of sexual abuse that may have taken place at leading Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. Abuses may have involved “several hundred” talents, according to the org.
The United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights began its first official visit to Japan last month and concluded 12 days of meetings and interviews last week.
While the group met with government departments and more than a dozen companies, special attention was paid to Johnny’s during the visit. The company was specifically discussed in the group’s end-of-mission statement.
Abuses are alleged to have occurred during the period before the 2019 death of company founder Johnny Kitagawa. The scale of abuse and the Japanese media’s part in covering up the allegations, which were first disclosed in the 1990s by the Shukan Bunshun magazine and were heard in open court as far back as 2003 in a libel suit, make the Johnny’s case a major scandal.
Mainstream Japanese media are alleged to have ignored problems at Johnny & Associates as they benefited from access to the agency’s music and acting talent. The company was responsible for making stars of acts including the J-Pop band SMAP, Tanokin Trio, Arashi, Kinki Kids and KAT-TUN.
The scandal had remained largely dormant until March, when the BBC aired a documentary that included interviews with alleged victims of Kitagawa’s abuse. Since then, others have come forward and identified themselves as Kitagawa’s victims.
“Our interactions with victims of sexual harassment involving Johnny and Associates talents have exposed deeply alarming allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving several hundreds of the company’s talents, with media companies in Japan reportedly implicated in covering up the scandal for decades,” reads the UN group’s end-of-mission statement.
Johnny’s and TEPCO, the power giant that was the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, were the only companies singled out for explicit mention in the 10-page statement. TEPCO was criticized for its wage policies and for reportedly forcing subcontractors to work on decontamination of the disaster-hit power station.
At a press conference on Friday, the UN group criticized both Johnny’s and the Japanese government for failing to properly investigate the sexual abuse allegations at the company.
“The perceived inaction by the government and [the company] among victims … highlights the need for the government, as the primary duty bearer, to ensure transparent investigations” into the case, said Pichamon Yeophantong, a political scientist and member of the U.N. Working Group.
The UN group said that Johnny’s appeared not to be taking seriously victim reports and it questioned the independence of the company’s investigation.
“According to testimony received, doubts persist about the transparency and legitimacy of Johnny and Associates’ Special Team (or Independent Team) for investigation. We have received reports of the lack of response to victims seeking mental health consultations from Johnny and Associates’ Mental Care Consultation Desk,” the UN statement said.
Contacted on the eve of the UN group visit in July, Johnny’s denied any knowledge of the UN probe or its participation. “We do not at present have any knowledge whatsoever as to the nature or remit of this matter,” the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Variety.
The identities of all those who spoke to the UN group about Johnny’s are not known. However, Ishimaru Shimon, now 55, was one who identified himself on Friday. Another former Johnny’s talent, musician Akimasa Nihongi, previously told Kyodo News that he planned to cooperate with the investigation.
The UN group’s chairperson, Damilola Olawuyi, explained to reporters that some of the alleged victims claimed they had been assaulted more than 40 times. The youngest victims were of elementary school age at the time of the alleged abuse.
Casting its net wider than the allegations of sexual abuse at Johnny’s and the media omerta, the UN Working Group sounded the alarm about a broad range of Japanese media and entertainment industry practices, calling them “deeply troubling.”
“The industry’s exploitative working conditions, along with the lack of labor law protection for workers and a clear legal definition of harassment, foster a culture of impunity for sexual violence and harassment. We were informed, for example, about the sexual harassment and abuse of female journalists and the lack of remedial action taken by broadcasting stations,” reads the end-of-mission statement.
“We were also alerted to excessively long working hours and issues related to unfair subcontracting relationships in the animation sector, with creators often given contracts that inadequately protect their intellectual property rights,” it continued.
While Japan will have to wait until June 2024 before the UN group issues its final definitive report, the coruscating interim text and the Friday press conference may give a further nudge to the country’s #MeToo movement and efforts to reform the country’s entertainment industry.
Cannes Palme d’Or winner Kore-eda Hirokazu and six other directors belonging to a group called Eiga Kantoku Yushi no Kai (which translates to Voluntary Association of Film Directors) last year launched A4C (Action4Cinema/Coalition for the Establishment of a Japan CNC), a non-profit lobby group dedicated to addressing ingrained industry problems.
The A4C members seek to change what they perceive as unfair employment terms. They also advocative for finance flowing back into the industry in order to lift the country’s surprisingly low-budget filmmaking operations.
The A4C members have also thrown their weight behind moves to tackle sexual abuse and the male-dominant industry structure. They allied themselves with the Association to End Sexual Abuse in the Film and Moving Image Industry, a group founded by female actor Suiren Midori, who last year went public with allegations of sexual abuse by (male) director Sakaki Hideo. Sakaki made a general apology, but did not admit to any specifics.
Numerous Japanese film directors have been accused of sexual abuse, though none have yet been charged by police.
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