For Kauan Okamoto, a former Johnny’s Jr. performer who has said he was sexually abused by the late Johnny & Associates founder Johnny Kitagawa, the agency's recognition on Thursday of its founder’s actions, combined with an apology and offer to compensate victims, has offered some level of closure.
“I felt a bit better. There’s nothing more I want to say to Johnny & Associates,” Okamoto said in a news conference Friday at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. “But it’s not easy for the psychological wounds of those who were victimized, including myself, to heal.”
The Japanese Brazilian singer’s accusation in a news conference in April — the first time someone had come forward about Kitagawa's abuse in that manner — was essentially what prompted most domestic media outlets to cover the scandal, ultimately leading to the major talent agency’s president, Julie Keiko Fujishima, to step down. Now, Okamoto says he wants to move on with his life.