Johnny & Associates Outlines Compensation and Recurrence Prevention Measures

Today, Johnny’s has unveiled their statement of intent detailing an overall plan to handle claims and more directly engage with the victims of the late Johnny Kitagawa. Please find below a translation of the plan with certain edits made for clarity for English readers.

The plans is as follows:

1. Compensatory damages: In accordance with the recommendations of the Special Team to Prevent Recurrence, Johnny & Associates will establish a Victim Relief Committee and open up a form that victims can fill for financial relief. Financial compensation will be provided to victims in accordance with the judgment of this Victim Relief Committee. The company will also engage in dialog with the victims per their wishes.
   1. The Victim Relief Committee will consist of external experts who have knowledge and experience in providing monetary compensation. In order to provide fair and appropriate monetary compensation to all victims, the company will leave it to the Victim Relief Committee to consider the contents of the reports from all victims and determine the amount of compensation. The Victim Relief Committee examines the contents and documents received per the form, and will hear directly from the victim to determine the amount of compensation. Johnny’s will entirely defer to the judgment of the Committee when handling both the amount and the request, and will not refuse any of their judgments.
      1. The Victim Relief Committee is composed of the three lawyers listed below, all of whom have experience as former judges and have had no affiliation with the company in the past. The Committee will be kept strictly independent from the company so as to preserve their non-bias.
         1. Jozuka Makoto: Was appointed as a judge in 1985. He has served as Director of the Information Policy Division of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Court, Director of the Litigation Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, and Judge of the Tokyo High Court (Divisional Chief). He retired as a judge in 2020 and registered as a lawyer.
         2. Sugihara Rei: Was appointed as a judge in 1986. In 1995, she retired as a judge and registered as a lawyer. She served as a member of the Local Government Information Disclosure and Personal Information Protection Review Board and a public interest committee member of the Central Labor Relations Commission.
         3. Mori Michihiro: Was appointed as a judge in 1995. After serving as a member of the Civil Affairs Bureau of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Court, he retired as a judge in 2005 and became a lawyer. He also served as the executive director of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations’ ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Center.
      2. Monetary Compensation and Eligibility
         1. Persons eligible for monetary compensation: People who have previously belonged to the company as a talent or trainee (such as Johnnys’ Jr.), or who currently belong to the agency and have been victims of sexual assault by the late Johnny Kitagawa.
         2. Note: If there are allegations of abuse other than what is stated above, the company will deal with the situation on a case by case basis in conjunction with advice from the above committee.
         3. Reports received through the form will be handled with strict privacy considerations and managed by the Victim Relief Committee. The contents of the submitted report and the personal information of the person making the report will be used by the Victim Relief Committee for examination and assessment, and when the Victim Relief Committee requests the provision of  materials and information related to the company, information will only be provided to the extent necessary to be disclosed to the company and will not be shared with the company beyond that scope. In any case, both the Victim Relief Committee and the company will maintain strict confidentiality regarding the contents of the report and the personal information of the person who filed the report, and will not use it for any purpose other than providing compensation.
         4. Documentation such as contracts showing that the victim belonged to the committee or medical records showing the effects of said assault are encouraged but not necessary for reporting and claiming compensation. Even if such materials do not exist, the Victim Relief Committee will still consider such cases. There may be requests to interview the claimant or requests for additional information to handle a request. The lawyers serving on the committee are strictly prohibited from representing victims for this situation.
2. About recurrence prevention measures
   1. Under new president, Noriyuki Higashiyama, Johnny’s will promptly and reliably implement the following measures to prevent recurrence as recommended by the Special Team for Recurrence Prevention.
      1. Formulation and establishment of a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) and maintenance, expansion, and implementation of various internal systems: In conjunction with the announcement of the new system on October 2, an external Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) will be appointed to implement basic human rights policies. Johnny’s will formulate and implement the plan, as well as develop internal regulations that include its contents. The company will also work on improving and enhancing existant systems that are already in place, such as procedures on how to handle whistle blowers as well as a way to handle Johnnys’ Jr. members who may wish to privately consult someone on a matter.
      2. Implementation and enhancement of training: The company is already conducting e-learning and individual training, but will enhance such measures to ensure that all staff as well as talents know how to spot and stop harassment as it occurs and strengthen compliance within the company.
      3. Strengthening governance: In order to further clarify management responsibilities and build a system that eliminates the negative effects of family management, Johnny’s is establishing an organizational structure and meeting system to ensure that the CCO and outside directors can monitor the internal systems without interference. The company also plans to monitor the progress of its efforts and make public announcements as appropriate.
      4. Engagement such as dialogue with media and other stakeholders: The company will pursue continuous dialog with various stakeholders such as the media, advertisers and the public in a planned manner to both inform stakeholders about the company’s commitment to respect the dignity and rights of the talents.

The company plans on communicating further as September goes on the various specific measures to prevent recurrence as recommended by a special team formed to prevent such abuse from happening ever again.

In addition, the company fully recognizes that the abuse was entirely the fault of the perpetrator (Johnny Kitagawa) as well as the internal controls that failed to do anything about the abuse. As such, for the next year all performance fees will be fully passed through to the talents themselves, and the company will not take any compensation usually due to an entertainment production company.

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