Japanese pop agency head quits after admitting late founder Johnny Kitagawa sexually abused hundreds of minors

livemint.com:

music industry and the scandal, which emerged fully earlier this year, has horrified the country. Julie K. Fujishima, 57, bowed deeply as she faced reporters, and apologised for the abuses, saying she stepped down on Tuesday.

"Our office Johnny & Associates, and myself Julie Keiko Fujishima... recognize that Johnny Kitagawa did sexually abuse (the boys). I apologise to the victims from the bottom of my heart." Since the BBC aired a tell-all documentary in March, the national sense of outrage in Japan has borne similarities to the reactions seen in the United States and Britain after the scandals involving Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein, and British TV star Jimmy Savile.

As more Japanese media took up the story, lawmakers voiced outrage, while the United Nations' human rights experts also criticised the talent agency for its handling of the allegations. Founded by Kitagawa in 1962, Johnny & Associates has an outsized cultural presence in Japan, producing some of the most popular names in J-pop including SMAP and Arashi, both with massive fan bases across East Asia. Fujishima named Noriyuki Higashiyama, a former member of the hit 1980s boy-band Shonentai, as the new head of the agency.

Higashiyama, 56, said he had never been a victim of the abuse or witnessed it, but had been aware of the rumours. "I couldn't, and didn't, do anything about it," he said. "It will take time to win back the lost trust, but I will devote the rest of my life to dealing with this problem." Calling the scandal "the most pitiful incident in human history", Higashiyama said there had been debate, but no conclusion, as to whether the agency should change its name.