A few minutes ago, Noriyuki Higashiyama, currently the longest tenured Johnny & Associates talent, spoke about the Johnny Kitagawa abuse scandal on “Sunday LIVE!!”, a TV Asahi morning news show which he hosts. This makes him the first current talent from the company to speak on the scandal.
After a package explaining the scandal was shown, Noriyuki said that he wanted to take some time to share his thoughts on the matter with viewers. First, he apologized to those who were harmed, and continued with, “Currently, the company has taken measures to prevent such a thing from happening again, but kind of future should we face? What should we do with current talents? How should deal with those who have confessed? I think we have to refresh everything, including whether the name Johnny’s should be preserved. I think we have to deal with this with transparency.”
He then asked lawyer Nomura Shuya his professional thoughts on this scandal. He replied that investigation and consultation are key, but also is a way to keep this from happening again. The lawyer also added that there have been issues with the way Johnny & Associates has handled things so far, and that working with outside parties is important, as is considering privacy issues.
Noriyuki listened and said, “That this is a sign post, and the company will take this as a first step.”
