The variety of males who’ve come ahead to say they had been abused by the as soon as well-known japanese pop agent Johnny Kitagawa now it’s approaching 1,000, in line with a bbc documentary airing tonight.
The shadow of a predator Offered by Mobeen Azhar will present testimonies from a number of people that had been younger individuals recruited by expertise company Johnny & Associates, which was dissolved final 12 months following the BBC’s explosive first documentary.
The variety of males who’ve utilized to Smile-Up, the successor firm to Johnny & Associates, is now 964, the documentary will reveal, whereas airing an unique interview with Smile-Up CEO Noriyuki Higashiyama, a former actor.
Kitagawa died in 2019 at age 87 and was celebrated for his six-decade contribution to Japanese popular culture, however abuse allegations emerged after his loss of life. His firm was dissolved after the 2023 BBC documentary and changed by a brand new expertise company, in addition to Smile-Up, an organization tasked with processing abuse claims.
The physician will reveal, nevertheless, that Smile-Up has been criticized by abuse survivors for having an opaque compensation course of and for not appearing rapidly sufficient. A lawyer representing survivors of Kitagawa’s abuse described the Smile-Up course of as “a black field state of affairs” for Azhar. The documentary can even embody an interview with the spouse of a person who took his personal life after going public along with his story.
Higashiyama will say, “I hope it helps mend your hearts, even just a bit. I contemplate that to be my position. My important purpose is to reunite with the survivors.” He’ll admit that he has no formal coaching or expertise in counseling to assist survivors of sexual abuse.
The accusations in recent times have shaken the world of Japanese pop. The corporate was dissolved late final 12 months throughout a dramatic press convention that includes Kitagawa’s niece, Julie Okay Fujishima, who introduced her resignation on the time following months of worldwide scrutiny and an impartial investigation.
The BBC documentary will air tonight.
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