A former Johnny & Associates staff member has confessed to The Asahi Shimbun that he sexually abused about eight underage Johnny’s Jr. members three decades ago.
The man, who is now in his 50s, worked as a manager for Johnny’s Jr., overseeing the boys’ schedules and transportation. He confessed that most of the abuse occurred in vehicles used to transport the boys. The abuse occurred from 1995 to 2000, with the man touching their genitals and engaging in oral sex. Most of the alleged victims were in high school at the time, with the man giving several thousand yen to some of them. He also made sexual advances towards four other Johnny’s Jr., but was rebuffed.
The man was interviewed by the company in the wake of the Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal by the special team for recurrence prevention. It was during this time that he admitted to his abuse of the boys. During his confessions, he said that he saw the lewd acts as “an extension of becoming close to the Johnny’s Jr. members”, as well as “a form of communication.” He added, “The Johnny’s Jr. members may have felt they had no choice but to give in to the sexual advances because they believed doing so would benefit their careers.” He continued, “At the time, I did not view it as a crime, but I was aware that I was doing something bad and possibly making them uncomfortable. I believe it constitutes sexual abuse.”
When he was asked why he agreed to be interviewed, the former employee said, “Refusing this interview would amount to running away from the truth, which may also hurt the victims.”
Allegations of sexual abuse by staff members were revealed in an investigative report released in August 2023 by the company’s special team for recurrence prevention. At the infamous September 2023 press conference, company president Noriyuki Higashiyama said the company would investigate these allegations.
In the sequel BBC documentary about the Johnny Kitagawa abuse scandal, Higashiyama revealed that he was aware of sexual abuse by two staff members. The Asahi Shimbun believes that the man they interviewed is one of these employees.
The newspaper reached out the SMILE-UP., the current name of Johnny & Associates, which was tasked with making amends for the sexual abuse in the wake of the scandal. The company responded, “We conducted fact-finding investigations regarding two former staff members and have determined that sexual contact took place between them and former Johnny’s Jr. members.” When asked specifically if the man they interviewed was one of the two abusers, the company replied, “We will refrain from answering the question as this concerns an individual’s name.”
September 7 marks three years since the company acknowledged the sexual abuse committed by its late founder, after decades of rumor and speculation. As of August 31, 1,046 individuals had reported being sexually abused by Kitagawa to SMILE-UP., according to the company’s website.
Regarding the sexual abuse committed by staff members, in March 2024, SMILE-UP. said in that it had not received such reports. However, the company now says it has received several reports in response to inquiries from The Asahi Shimbun.
