United Nations human rights experts on Friday criticized the talent agency Johnny & Associates for for what they said was insufficient handling of sexual abuse allegations against its late founder, saying that “doubts persist about the transparency and legitimacy” of the third-party investigation team set up by the agency.
Two members of the five-member U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights were visiting Japan for two weeks through Friday to investigate wide-ranging human rights issues involving the nation’s businesses. They called on the government to do more to investigate decades of suspected abuse against male idols by Johnny Kitagawa, calling the allegations “deeply alarming.”
During their visit, the experts said they met with representatives of the talent agency, as well as members of Johnny’s Sexual Assault Victims Association, a group of former idols at the talent agency who allege they were abused by Kitagawa. The experts declined to say who they met with from the agency, or whether the representatives included Julie Keiko Fujishima, the niece of Kitagawa and the current president of the male-only talent agency.
“We note that several measures have been taken by the government over the last 20 years in relation to the prevention of child sexual abuse,” Pichamon Yeophantong, a member of the U.N. working group, told a packed news conference in Tokyo.
“However, the perceived inaction by the government and the business involved among victims that we met in this case highlights the need for the government, as the primary duty-bearer, to ensure transparent investigations of perpetrators and that victims obtain effective remedies, be they in the form of an apology or financial compensation.”
In addition, the panel members stressed the need for a clear timeline of the investigation. The third-party investigation team appointed by Johnny & Associates did not specify when the investigation would be completed when the probe was first announced on June 12.
Just as the U.N. news conference wrapped up on Friday, the talent agency announced on its website that it will hold its first news conference to address the allegations soon after the third-party investigation team releases its report “around the end of August.”
“We sincerely apologize for the great concern and anxiety inflicted on everyone with regards to the issue of sex abuse by our late founder Johnny Kitagawa,” the firm said in its statement. “We will hold a news conference to explain the measures we plan to take as soon as possible following the receipt of proposals from the special team.”
Akimasa Nihongi, a member of the victims’ group who has been interviewed by both the agency-commissioned investigation team and the U.N. experts, recounted the difference in their approaches.
“Since the investigation team is paid for by Johnny & Associates, it seemed to me that its aim was to recommend how the agency can prevent the recurrence (of abuse), not to provide relief to the victims,” Nihongi told a separate news conference later Friday. “In the interview by the U.N. working group, I wasn’t asked many questions; they were eager to listen and understand our feelings throughout the session, looking straight into our eyes.”
Shimon Ishimaru, another member of the victims’ group, called for other victims to come forward with their stories, promising to protect them.
The working group’s investigation also covered issues related to the release of treated radioactive water from — and the harsh working conditions of some workers at — the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, as well as the exploitation of migrant workers and technical interns in Japan. The experts called on the Japanese government to conduct human rights due diligence and establish an independent national human rights institution to promote corporate accountability and provide proper compensation to the victims.
The experts said they will compile and present a full report on Japan’s situation to the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2024. The report will include concrete recommendations for the government and businesses.
Sexual abuse allegations against Kitagawa garnered international attention after the BBC released a documentary featuring victims’ accounts in March. But accusations of abuse go all the way back to 1988, when Koji Kita, a member of a famous boy band group, published a book on the subject.
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