Tag - ​-child-abuse

 
 

​ CHILD ABUSE

Masanobu Ogura (center left), then-minister in charge of policies related to children, receives a petition from Hiroki Komazaki (center right), founder of nonprofit organization Florence, in Tokyo on Sept. 1.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023
Debate grows in Japan over proposed background checks for teachers
The Children and Families Agency is proposing to make screening for criminal convictions mandatory for people looking to work in schools or nurseries.
A woman walks past a roadside television screen reporting the death of Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, in Tokyo in July 2019.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 16, 2023
Johnny's sex abuse scandal causing TV sponsors to reconsider
A growing number of Japanese companies have been rethinking their involvement as sponsors of television programs starring members of Johnny & Associates.
The incoming and outgoing presidents of Johnny & Associates, Noriyuki Higashiyama and Julie Keiko Fujishima, bow at a press conference on Sept. 7.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 14, 2023
Johnny’s talent agency has admitted to a past of abuse. What next?
Karin Kaneko joins the show to update us on how the story is unfolding.
The headquarters of Johnny & Associates in Tokyo's Minato Ward
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023
Johnny's says it will work for free as firms cut ties over scandal
The talent agency says it will not receive management fees for advertisements and television appearances by performers for a year.
An increasing number of companies are saying they won't use Johnny & Associates performers in new commercials.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2023
More companies move away from Johnny’s over sex abuse scandal
Many firms say they won't work with the agency again until it hears how Johnny's will help the victims and prevent further incidents.
Major Japanese food and beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings made the decision not to feature Johnny's talents in its future sales promotion activities "to prevent itself from promoting human rights violations by a business partner."
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2023
Asahi to end use of Johnny's personalities in ads
The major Japanese food and beverage maker made the decision "to prevent itself from promoting human rights violations by a business partner."
Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima (second from right) acknowledged that company founder Johnny Kitagawa had sexually abused agency employees for decades during a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 7.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Sep 9, 2023
What’s in a name? A lot of baggage and trauma, unfortunately.
Johnny and Associates' recognition of abuse is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to move forward.
New president of Johnny & Associates Noriyuki Higashiyama (left) and Julie Keiko Fujishima, who stepped down as president, take questions from the media during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2023
Tokio Marine considers ending ad contract with Johnny's
Tokio Marine has been using Masaki Aiba, a Johnny's personality, in its advertisements since January 2022.
Officers of Chiba Prefectural Police department and child consultation center workers use a model house to conduct joint training in the city of Kimitsu in Chiba Prefecture last November.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2023
Record 219,000 cases of child abuse logged in Japan in fiscal '22
Over half of the total cases were reported to child consultation centers by police.
Julie Keiko Fujishima (right), who stepped down as Johnny & Associates president on Tuesday, and new President Noriyuki Higashiyama give a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2023
Johnny's replaces president as it admits to abuse by late founder
The replacement comes on the heels of a scathing third-party report, which recommended that Julie Keiko Fujishima resign as president.
Masanobu Ogura (right), minister in charge of policies for children, speaks during a meeting of an experts' panel held Tuesday in Tokyo to discuss a planned system to require people seeking jobs related to children to submit certificates proving that they have no record of sex crimes.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2023
Planned sex-offense barring system drafted for child-related jobs
The Children and Families Agency plans to submit a bill to establish the system during this autumn's extraordinary Diet session.
A monitor displays a news report about the death of Johnny Kitagawa in July 2019.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2023
Media respond to report on sexual abuse at Johnny and Associates
The committee said Japan's mainstream media chose to ignore Kitagawa’s sexual abuse in order to maintain access to Johnny & Associates' talent pool.
Former Prosecutor-General Makoto Hayashi (center) and two other experts speak about their investigation into Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse allegations, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023
Expert team reports on decades of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa
The team urged Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima to step down after the family-run business left the issue unaddressed for decades.
Members of Johnny’s Sexual Assault Victims Association who allege they were abused by famed-talent agent Johnny Kitagawa speak to reporters in late July in Tokyo following a hearing by United Nations human rights experts.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 23, 2023
Kishida faces leadership test over Johnny's sexual abuse scandal
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who prides himself on his “ability to listen,” faces a test of his leadership amid the Johnny's sexual abuse scandal.
Parents of children who were victims of sex crimes hold a news conference from behind partitions in Tokyo in July 2020.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 22, 2023
Japan to bar sex offenders from work in day nurseries and schools
A system certifying candidates as having no such convictions is being discussed by experts after cases involving sexual abuse by teachers and babysitters.
The government plans to make it mandatory for staff candidates at children's facilities, including those for children with disabilities, to submit a certificate of no sex crime record.
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2023
Japan considers mandatory sex crime record checks by schools
The government plans to include the requirements in a bill it expects to submit to parliament as early as this fall.
The newly created Children and Families Agency unveils its signboard last month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 6, 2023
Japan to promote new certification tackling child abuse
Set to launch in April 2024, the move is in response to the rise in abuse consultation requests — hitting record highs 31 years in a row.
Two members of the five-member U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights speak with reporters Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 4, 2023
U.N. experts criticize Johnny’s sex abuse investigation
The experts called on the government to do more to investigate decades of suspected abuse against male idols by Johnny Kitagawa.
Officials discuss preventing sexual abuse of minors in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 27, 2023
Japan unveils new measures to stop sexual assault against minors
As a part of the measures, the government plans to set up a hotline for male victims of sexual assault so that they can seek psychological support if needed.
Officials in the municipality of Daito, in Osaka, speak at a news conference on Wednesday regarding a case in which a mother is suspected of starving her daughter, hospitalizing her and claiming insurance payments.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2023
Mother in Osaka arrested for starving daughter and claiming insurance money
Investigators believe Kasumi Nawata regularly starved her daughter, hospitalizing her 43 times for a total of 332 days since spring 2018.

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