New Allegations of Sexual Abuse Emerge Against Johnny & Associates Founder
Another allegation of sexual abuse against the late Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Japan's largest entertainment agency Johnny & Associates, has surfaced. This time, the accuser is Okamoto Gauan, a former member of the Japanese idol group "Johnny's Junior."
On April 12, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan posted a video titled "Johnny Kitagawa victim claims" on their YouTube channel. In the video, former "Johnny's Junior" member Okamoto Gauan held a press conference at the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents' Club, claiming he had been sexually abused by Johnny Kitagawa.
Okamoto Gauan revealed, "I was in my third year of middle school at the time. Johnny started massaging my legs, then removed my underwear and began touching my genitals directly." He added, "I pretended to be asleep throughout the ordeal." According to Gauan, Kitagawa gave him 10,000 yen after the incident. The first instance of abuse occurred in March 2012, and Gauan claimed that he was subjected to sexual acts by Kitagawa approximately 20 times until he left Johnny & Associates in 2016.
Gauan also stated, "It happened in the same room where other members were present, and frankly, I think almost everyone in Johnny's was victimized." He further explained that in Johnny & Associates, "whoever Johnny likes gets to debut. Johnny handpicks people for drama roles or commercials, and everything is decided by his word."
Additionally, Gauan released footage of Kitagawa's residence, saying, "Honestly, I think everyone in Johnny's experienced this kind of thing." He added, "I personally witnessed three people go through it."
Johnny Kitagawa passed away in 2019. His company, Johnny & Associates, has produced globally renowned idol groups such as SMAP and Arashi. However, allegations of sexual abuse against trainee boys by Kitagawa have emerged, and the BBC released a documentary titled "Predator: The Secret Scandals of J-POP" addressing these issues.
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