Johnny & Associates

Johnny & Associates (, janīzu jimusho in Japanese) is a well-known talent agent in Japan. The company was established in 1963 by Johnny Kitagawa. It accepts and trains talented boys and promotes their debuts to the entertainment industry. Although Johnny & Associates once accepted female idol candidates in 1980s, it now only takes boys as its candidates.

History
Starting with group name "Johnnys" in 1962, Johnny & Associates has debuted over 20 groups so far. It has currently more than 10 groups actively participating in the entertainment industry. The most famous groups of today include SMAP (since 1991), TOKIO (1994), V6 (1996), Kinki Kids (1997), Arashi (1999), Tackey and Tsubasa (2001), NewS (2003), Kanjani∞ (2005), KAT-TUN (2006), and Hey! Say! JUMP (2007). Johnny & Associates has been introducing a new idol group almost every other year, and in 2009, Nakayama Yuma with B.I. Shadow made its debut in June.

 Sexual Assault allegations 
 Overview 
Kitagawa created Johnny & Associates in the early 1960s. It has been shown that Kitagawa had sexually assaulted many of the boys since the early days of the company. If the boys agreed to the sexual attempts by Kitagawa , they were able to perform for the company. If they refused, they were refused the ability to perform.“Investigation Report (Publication Version) ”(Japanese). Johnny's Office (August 29, 2023). Accessed September 3, 2023.

In civil trials held in the 1970s, obscene acts were suggested but the boys denied anything was happening. .It was said the that people had been accused of harm or had almost been harmed. Some former members of the group (Koji Kita(北公次),"Hikaru Genji e "(光GENJIへ) series (1988 - 1989, 3 books in total) Junya Hiramoto(平本淳也)"Johnny's no subete"(ジャニーズのすべて) series (1998, 3 books in total)) published books that included information about boys being raped. In 1999, the magazine Shukan Bunshun reported about people claiming there was sexual abuse by Kitagawa.

With the exception of Shukan Bunshun, no other Japanese media covered this subject. Mark D. West (September 15, 2008). Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-89408-9 Law enforcement in Japan also took no actions.

During this time, it was known that an employee of Johnny & Associates had often had oral sex with some of the boys. Sexual assault at the office was being seen as the norm. 

Johnny Kitagawa died in 2019 without being arrested or charged with any crime.

In 2022. Kauan Okamoto(カウアン・オカモト) appeared on GaaSyy's Youtube channel. 

Okamoto had belonged to Johnny & Associates. He talked about how he was a victim of assault while he was at Johnny's.“ジャニー氏性加害告発の発端、ガーシー容疑者の捜査は後回し？”. @nifty News 

On March 7, 2023, the British broadcaster BBC broadcasted a documentary titled Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop. This is about sexual assault by Kitagawa.

On April 12, 2023, Kauan Okamoto held a press conference.“Johnny Kitagawa: Ex-pop star Kauan Okamoto details sexual abuse by famed producer”. BBC News. Accessed on April 13, 2023.Kauan Okamoto's press conference video - YouTube（KYODO NEWS, Released on April 12, 2023） He said that from the time started working at Johnny's Entertainment, at the age of 15,  until he left the company, he was abused  twenty times by Kitagawa. After this press conference, NHK reported on the abuse on April 13. This was the first television report on Kitagawa's sexual assault by a Japanese media. It was only broadcast for two minutes at 4 p.m. At that time of day, there were very few people watching television.

People from the United Nations Human Rights Council came to Japan in late July 2023. They investigated the situation from late July 2023 until early August 2023.U.N. experts to probe Johnny Kitagawa's alleged abuse in Japan - The Japan Times On August 4, 2023, They said that there was boys rape at Johnny & Associates. They also said that the Japanese media had said nothing about this for decades.,

 Cause 
Johnny & Associates were a powerful part of the Japanese entertainment industry for a long time. The company had been pressuring the media to report positively on the company, the performers and Kitagawa, They were not to report negatively. 

Johnny & Associates was a typical family-run company. From 1980 until Kitagawa's death in 2019, Kitagawa and his sister Mary Kitagawa(メリー喜多川) each owned half the stock of the company.  Because they were the only shareholders, there was no one to comment about how the company was run.特別チーム 2023 , pp. 46–47. When Kitagawa died, Mary Kitagawa's daughter, Julie Keiko Fujishima(藤島ジュリー景子), became president of the company.  She gained both her mother and her uncles shares. . She could have investigated Kitagawa's actions  but chose not to.

 Reaction and influence 
 On September 7, 2023, Johnny & Associates held a press conference.Head of top talent agency quits after admitting abuse - Asahi shimbun東山紀之新社長「ジャニーズ」屋号は継続の意向　ネット賛否「名前変えて再出発した方が」「残してほしい」 - Sponichi Annex 2023年9月7日 Julie Keiko Fujishima, president of the company, took responsibility. She also retired as president, Noriyuki Higashiyama, a Johnny's talent, became president. Fujishima remained as representative director. She no longer runs th company does hold all the stocks in the company. The company has said that it will not change the name, Johnny & Associates.【速報】ジャニーズ事務所の社名は変更せず　「イメージを払拭するよう努力」
 Some companies that use Johnny & Associates talents in their commercials have said they will no longer do this. These include Tokio Marine Nichido,Tokio Marine considers ending ad contract with Johnny's  - The Japan Times. September 8, 2023 Japan Airlines and Asahi Group Holdings.
 After press conference  for Johnny & Associates, NHK and five major commercial networks of Japan said that they will still use Johnny & Associates talents.在京キー局が「マスメディアの沈黙」について姿勢示す…ジャニーズ事務所の会見受け声明を発表【各局全文コメント】2023年9月7日 スポーツ報知 They included Nippon TV, TV Asahi, TBS, TV Tokyo and Fuji Television.TV stations in Japan respond to Johnny & Associates Press Conference - nantejapan 
 At the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Japan's ambassadors are Johnny & Associates talents. France has criticized the use of Johnny & Associates talent.French newspaper criticizes Sho Sakurai’s appointment as Japan national rugby team ambassador in response to Johnny’s sexual assault issue | East Sports WEB  - Japan Post English
 Among Johnny's fans, there were comments such as "If you're a fan, you know this fact" and "That's what the entertainment world is like", acknowledging child rape and denying reporting it. And, they attacked on social media against Kauan Okamoto, who talked about to boys rape.

 Related pages 
 Child sexual abuse
 Child grooming
 Victim blaming

 References 

Category:1963 establishments in Japan
Category:Japanese entertainment companies
Category:Companies based in Tokyo