A group of actors in Japan’s film industry who allege they have been sexually abused by movie directors said Thursday that their accusations are being trivialized as personal relationship issues rather than as an industrywide problem — despite the revelation of Johnny Kitagawa’s decadeslong sexual abuse.
The history of sexual abuse by Kitagawa, the late founder of one of the country’s top music talent agencies, garnered widespread attention in Japan after one of the victims held a news conference in April at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FCCJ) in Tokyo. The actors who feel the domestic media are ignoring their claims are hoping that talking to foreign media will have a similar effect for them.
Actor Midori Suiren — who says she was sexually assaulted by film director Hideo Sakaki — and filmmaker Kenzo Kaga — who has said he was sexually abused by film director Tetsuaki Matsue — were among those present at a news conference Thursday at the FCCJ.