Japan’s leading boyband agency has issued a public apology in response to sexual assault allegations against its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa. Fans are now urging the company, Johnny and Associates, to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
In a recent statement, Kauan Okamoto, a Japanese-Brazilian singer, claimed that he was repeatedly molested by Kitagawa during his four-year tenure with the agency, which began when he was 15 years old. Kitagawa, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 87, was never criminally charged over these accusations.
Julie Fujishima, Kitagawa’s niece and current president of Johnny and Associates, addressed the allegations in a video and written statement released yesterday evening. Fujishima apologised “sincerely” for any trouble caused in connection to the allegations and to the accusers.
“Obviously,…
