For decades, well-known Japanese talent manager Johnny Kitagawa sexually abused young men and boys who were desperate to make it big in Japan’s entertainment industry.
CNA’s Michiyo Ishida talks to Steve Lai about the reckoning that his agency – which created popular boy bands SMAP and Arashi – is going through now that the country’s worst-kept secret is finally out.
Jump to these key moments:
1:27 Who was Johnny Kitagawa?4:25 How some victims were paid after Kitagawa’s assaults9:12 The man who took over Johnny & Associates faced his own allegations11:37 Why the media was silent15:54: The current company is set up to deal solely with compensation
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