Japanese firms drop stars of scandal-tainted Johnny’s leisure firm

By Associated Press

TOKYO: Several main Japanese firms have determined to cease utilizing stars who’re represented by Johnny & Associates, an leisure firm on the centre of a sexual assault scandal.

Beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings — identified for its Super Dry beer — will not air its advertisements that includes Junichi Okada, Toma Ikuta and Sho Sakurai, the corporate stated Tuesday, and there are not any plans to signal singers, dancers or actors affiliated with Johnny’s. Other firms, together with Japan’s flagship service Japan Airlines and main insurer Nippon Life Insurance Co., are following go well with in distancing themselves from the scandal.

Victims have come ahead, demanding an apology and monetary compensation from Johnny & Associates, which stays one in every of Japan’s strongest leisure firms. Some say they need the corporate identify modified to do away with the reference to Johnny, noting the sheer point out of that identify is traumatic.

Julie Keiko Fujishima acknowledged Thursday that her late uncle Johnny Kitagawa, who based and ran the corporate, had sexually assaulted youngsters and youths, and introduced her resignation as chief govt at Tokyo-based Johnny’s.

Fujishima nonetheless owns 100% of the corporate, which has makes a speciality of boy bands.

A 3-month investigation into assault allegations in opposition to Kitagawa discovered that the abuse spanned a long time and victims quantity within the tons of. Despite longstanding whispers of assault, in addition to printed accounts in tell-all books, allegations had been till not too long ago written off as malicious hypothesis. Kitagawa was by no means charged and died in 2019.

Critics say the mainstream information media saved silent as a result of it didn’t wish to lose entry to Johnny’s stars for his or her programming. But public opinion has shifted dramatically in current months, with the wave of firms dropping Johnny’s anticipated to develop.

Suntory Holdings stated it should cease utilizing Johnny’s personnel in its advertisements and has formally demanded improved company governance. The beverage maker, identified for Hibiki whisky, beforehand featured Hokuto Matsumura of SixTONES in its advertisements.

In a current interview with the native Asahi newspaper, which isn’t associated to the beverage maker, Asahi Group CEO Atsushi Katsuki stated he was shocked when Johnny’s publicly acknowledged the historical past of sexual assaults actually occurred.

“If we continue with our contracts, it would be as though we are condoning human rights violations,” he stated.

TOKYO: Several main Japanese firms have determined to cease utilizing stars who’re represented by Johnny & Associates, an leisure firm on the centre of a sexual assault scandal.

Beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings — identified for its Super Dry beer — will not air its advertisements that includes Junichi Okada, Toma Ikuta and Sho Sakurai, the corporate stated Tuesday, and there are not any plans to signal singers, dancers or actors affiliated with Johnny’s. Other firms, together with Japan’s flagship service Japan Airlines and main insurer Nippon Life Insurance Co., are following go well with in distancing themselves from the scandal.

Victims have come ahead, demanding an apology and monetary compensation from Johnny & Associates, which stays one in every of Japan’s strongest leisure firms. Some say they need the corporate identify modified to do away with the reference to Johnny, noting the sheer point out of that identify is traumatic.googletag.cmd.push(operate() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

Julie Keiko Fujishima acknowledged Thursday that her late uncle Johnny Kitagawa, who based and ran the corporate, had sexually assaulted youngsters and youths, and introduced her resignation as chief govt at Tokyo-based Johnny’s.

Fujishima nonetheless owns 100% of the corporate, which has makes a speciality of boy bands.

A 3-month investigation into assault allegations in opposition to Kitagawa discovered that the abuse spanned a long time and victims quantity within the tons of. Despite longstanding whispers of assault, in addition to printed accounts in tell-all books, allegations had been till not too long ago written off as malicious hypothesis. Kitagawa was by no means charged and died in 2019.

Critics say the mainstream information media saved silent as a result of it didn’t wish to lose entry to Johnny’s stars for his or her programming. But public opinion has shifted dramatically in current months, with the wave of firms dropping Johnny’s anticipated to develop.

Suntory Holdings stated it should cease utilizing Johnny’s personnel in its advertisements and has formally demanded improved company governance. The beverage maker, identified for Hibiki whisky, beforehand featured Hokuto Matsumura of SixTONES in its advertisements.

In a current interview with the native Asahi newspaper, which isn’t associated to the beverage maker, Asahi Group CEO Atsushi Katsuki stated he was shocked when Johnny’s publicly acknowledged the historical past of sexual assaults actually occurred.

“If we continue with our contracts, it would be as though we are condoning human rights violations,” he stated.