News Johnny Kitagawa: Japan’s J-pop predator

[thomas]

Two Japanese men, Kyohei Iida (37) and Junya Tanaka (43) have initiated legal proceedings in the United States to seek compensation for sexual abuse inflicted upon them by the deceased founder of Johnny & Associates Inc., Johnny Kitagawa. The lawsuit, filed in Nevada on December 18th, alleges that the abuse occurred in Las Vegas when both victims were minors.

Tanaka hoped this legal action would catalyze a transformation within Japan's legal framework and societal consciousness regarding human rights. The plaintiffs are demanding a collective $300 million from Smile-Up Inc. and Starto Entertainment Inc., companies established after the dissolution of Johnny & Associates, and former executives, including Julie Keiko Fujishima, Kitagawa's niece and former agency president. Smile-Up was formed to provide financial redress to the numerous former agency members who Kitagawa sexually abused, while Starto Entertainment assumed the talent management operations of the company.

According to the lawsuit, Tanaka was 15 when he was sexually assaulted by Kitagawa in a Las Vegas hotel room in 1997. Iida was 14 when he was allegedly sexually assaulted in 2002. The two companies that are defendants in the lawsuit argued that they should not be held accountable to provide compensation. A Smile-Up official said, "We believe a U.S. court would not have jurisdiction in such matters because the plaintiffs lived in Japan at that time. We will consult with our lawyers in the United States to decide how to proceed." Noting that there is no capital relationship with Smile-Up and that the two companies are separate, independent entities, a Starto Entertainment official said, "There is no reason for our company to be subject to a lawsuit. It is very regrettable that such a step was taken without an adequate understanding of the facts of how our company was established." But Kazuko Ito, a lawyer and expert on sexual violence lawsuits in the United States, said that filling the case in Nevada could have a major impact. She explained that the U.S. court could provide a more transparent process and establish clear compensation figures, compared to the closed, secretive nature of the decisions made by Smile-Up.

Johnny’s victims seek justice in U.S. court for sexual assaults | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

Former Johnny & Associates entertainers file damages suit in US | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

NHK has learned that two men who used to belong to the former Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates have filed a compensation lawsuit in the United States over its late founder's alleged sexual abuse.

www3.nhk.or.jp