Japanese boy-band production company sets up panel to compensate sexual assault victims
The Japanese boys-band production company at the center of an unfolding sexual abuse scandal, Johnny & Associates, has selected three former judges to head its effort to compensate hundreds of victims
TOKYO — The Japanese boys-band production company at the center of an unfolding sexual abuse scandal, Johnny & Associates, chose three former judges Wednesday to head its effort to compensate hundreds of victims.
The Tokyo-based agency also said it will not take its usual cut from its performers’ earnings for the next year “in an effort to win back public trust,” and all the money for shows and other appearances will go to the individuals.
The actions come after Johnny’s, as the company is known, acknowledged last week that Johnny Kitagawa, its late founder and former chief, had sexually assaulted at least several hundred teens and children over half a century.
A special online site will be set up for people who worked under Johnny’s so they can be financially compensated, the company said in a statement. Privacy will be protected, and the monetary amount will be worked out in direct talks with each person, it said.
Kitagawa died in 2019 and was never charged.
Julie Keiko Fujishima, his niece, stepped down as chief executive of Johnny's last week and was replaced by Noriyuki Higashiyama, a Johnny’s star. Fujishima remains on the board and owns 100% of the unlisted company.
Japan has been shaken by the scope and systematic nature of the once-powerful Kitagawa’s acts, as more people come forward to say they were victimized.
Johnny’s also reiterated its promise to strengthen governance and appoint a compliance officer in the company.
“We recognize that the late Johnny Kitagawa carried out sexual assaults over a long period,
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