The BBC made a documentary this spring discussing the famous J-Pop talent agency, Johnny & Associates. This agency has constantly produced top chart idols under its label since the 1970s. Just beneath what Japanese media reports, however, there is a more sinister side to this company. The agency monopolized the boy band market and media. There was truly no other option for aspiring idols. This monopoly gave unbounded power to the company. This allowed Johnny Kitagawa– the former company president– to repeatedly sexually assault over 325 teenage trainees and idols from his agency for more than fifty years. Only after a foreign news channel covers the crime does the agency start being held accountable.
For the average Japanese person, this was not a secret.
Twenty-three years ago, years prior to the BBC coverage, one Japanese weekly magazine that detailed how the company president preyed on underaged trainees. Some of these trainees were as young as twelve years old. If they resisted Kitagawa’s advances, they would never get the chance to debut. My mother was in college in Japan at the time and believed those fans would start demanding justice.
However, nothing happened. The streets were silent. Fans were happily purchasing tickets and merchandise for the upcoming concert. The silence was deafening.
Johnny Kitagawa died in 2019 having never faced criminal charges. He died as a respected, billion-dollar entertainment mogul. The Prime Minister himself would honor his contribution to the J-Pop industry. Nothing was mentioned regarding the original article exposing him as a pedophile, nor the (civil) court case that confirmed the accusation of his abuse. He died as the “godfather of Japanese pop music.”
His company was the first to create a training program for young boys who seek stardom. The company gives dancing, singing, and acting lessons to hundreds of trainees. This idol factory system was adopted by K-Pop in the 1990s and K-Pop soon globalized successfully. However, while Johnny Kitagawa promised a U.S. debut for his boy bands, J-Pop stayed domestic. While he has the money and influence to silence any accusing media in Japan… If he went global, those same accusations would resurface and destroy his empire.
Once the accusation is leaked, fans would definitely demand justice and compensation. That is the reaction typical for U.S. citizens. Japan is unique because of its “culture of shame,”. A woman being assaulted in Japan is seen as “shameful” and “blemished” and if the victim is male, this feeling of shame is tenfold intensified. Japanese fans obsess over a perfect idol, and any “blemishes” become unthinkable.
When the BBC covered the case (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66752320) and gave the victims of Johnny Kitagawa a platform to share their experiences, instead of support, most Japanese fans blamed those who came forward. Many victims faced comments that accused them of lying or just, “doing it for the money.” Unfortunately, one victim has been reported to have committed suicide as of November 14th due to the overwhelmingly negative response from so called, “fans.”
Only when Johnny & Associates started to be received with international backlash did they start to make plans for compensating the 834 and counting people that have reported Sexual Abuse by Kitagawa. (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231122_32/) Six months after the BBC documentary, the company president, the niece of Johnny Kitagawa who took over the position after his death, stepped down. Following this, they revealed their plan to split Johnny & Associates into two companies, one to compensate the victims (“SmileUp”), and the other to continue idol business as usual (yet-to-be-named management company).
These changes were mostly caused by many advertisers and major Japanese companies (auto, insurance, beer, etc…) that do business worldwide terminated their sponsorship with Johnny & Associates. Any advertisements featuring the talents from the agency would be pulled out. This also applied to TV Shows, Music Festivals, and dramas.
It’s been more than twenty-three years since the initial reporting of the sexual assault occurring within Johnny & Associates. These changes could have easily happened much earlier if fans had gotten together and advocated for what was right. Even fans showing up united with anger and discontent could have been enough. If something had been done earlier, many victims could have been spared from Kitagawa’s sexual abuse. Especially in a situation like this, I cannot understand the hivemind behind J-Pop fans. Even when my parents are from that country, I don’t think I can assimilate into that kind of culture. How could they be silent for so long?
Fandom is all about self-expression and your own values. We need to be true to ourselves no matter how people rally with you or shame you for doing so. I write this because I believe young people deserve to pursue a career in a safe environment as a basic human right. Silence will only benefit the party in power.
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