The “Godfather Of J-Pop” Slept with Male Trainees In Exchange For Making Them Stars 

The male rape victims stigma to this day is absolutely disgusting. I remember hearing about a case of a couple having "marital problems", basically he wasn't able to perform in the bedroom after he came back from a tour with the Army. The wife thought it was maybe ptsd or something so they went to couple therapy. There, he eventually revealed that he had been assaulted by his superior. His wife couldn't believe it, she asked him "Just one guy? You're a soldier, you're strong, why didn't you fight him off?" and the dude told her "I just froze, he was my superior, and I was so caught off guard" and eventually she walked out saying "You could have fought him off but you let him do it, because you're into guys, that's why you can't have sex with me anymore. And if instead you really were too much of a coward to fight back, I'm disgusted either way because you're a pussy." I still remember it like 15 years after because of how outraged I was at the wife's behaviour. Unfortunately it is often the case, like "it wasn't 10 dudes holding you down, why did you LET IT HAPPEN". As if it all comes down to that. I hope I'll get to live in a world where rape victims of both genders are treated equally and not made to feel ashamed or like it's their fault. But I see how most people are, and I know that won't happen, not in my lifetime at least.

All criminals that commit crimes against children need to be prosecuted regardless of country they reside. People have no idea how sexual assault affects people from childhood to adulthood. There’s no excuse for this man being able to prey on innocent boys for decades on end. It’s sick for anyone to make 1 excuse for what this predator did to the innocent.

It is disgusting that he died and never pay for the disgusting crimes he committed. Also, that people mourned for a disgusting person like him.

I will never understood the "don't speak ill of the dead" thing because the perpetrator may be dead but a lot of his victims are still very much alive. Shouldn't those who are living take precedence over someone 6 feet below?

My brother was scouted by Johnnys Entertainment when he was a child. My mom said no. Best decision ever.

It's so weird that everyone knows this guy is a child predator and rapist and yet he's still celebrated in Japan. Japan has always had such terrible views on child consent and SA but this is incomprehensible how vile this whole situation is.

It’s disgusting that he’d only accept male stars knowing that he specifically wanted to prey on these underaged boys :( I haven’t watched the whole video yet but I hope that he was punished and the victims are able to heal from what that man has put them through.

The victims is around 2500 people. I can't find the right word to describe how bad Kitagawa is. He shouldn't die. He should stay alive until his life was ruined.

The UN has stepped in to demand Japan properly address the abuse and support the victims starting today. It’s so great to have coverage like this spreading the voice of very vulnerable groups. Thank you for this.

Imagine having parents who say it’s ok if you get raped just make that money, you basically just selling your kid, feel so bad for these boys, I hope this still doesn’t go on with other companies.

I live in Japan and this case was soooo well-known. I think the older generation would say “oh don’t trust what you see on internet” But most of us younger generation actually say “well that’s not surprising at all…we all had a feeling this had been happening” Anyway this is just so disgusting and we’re all so proud this boy brought up his courage to talk about his experience in public now 😢

I remember in the BTS book, jungkook mentioned that when he was auditioning in different companies,one producer askesd to meet him at an hotel room for the "audition"....he was 13_14, at the end he didn't go instead he went and auditioned at bighit...

As a survivor of SA this was very triggering but as my court case comes closer and having to talk at court.. I know I’m not alone and I’m strong.I standing up for all of us, all the victims

I 100% believe parents would let their sons be abused for fame and money. It happens all the time in Hollywood. Not surprising, people are greedy and will do desperate despicable things

The way He named them Johnny’s as if they were his property, which I believe he did think so, was very disgusting

Thank you so much for covering this case, Stephanie! As Japanese, I can attest that this allegation is very well known in Japan. And it's infuriating that nobody cancelled him and he literally completely got away from it cuz he passed without facing any consequences. It's sicken my stomach. Saddest thing abt this case is only "the one didn't succeed in the industry" would speak out, and ppl think it's less credible because "he's being salty", or "jealous"... 😞

Im from Japan and literally EVERY GIRL grew up chasing after idols from Johnny’s. This has been talked here and there since when my mom was younger. The medias are so disgusting for not reporting this on the TV because they are afraid. It’s so gross. Money is everything

The lack of acknowledgment or male victims is disgusting. This is why so many don't report this. And thr favt people make excuses for the perp? My jaw dropped.

Rapist and pedophiles don’t get to not be spoken ill of when they pass. They did horrible things. I’m not Asian but I was told that saying a lot as I grew up but rapist & pedophiles should not apply. They chose to do those horrible things and now they should be remembered for such.

These predators get away with ruining children lives and this will continue to happen if they keep covering up their dirty deeds smh

The parents who approved what Johnny did are really terrible. They are as bad as the sexual predator.

Publicly R. Kelly was cancelled but all over my timelines there were people of my same color (african american) doing THE MOST to excuse him because of his household name in his genre and how good his music is. I really wish we lived in a world where being famous wasn't even a mid tier excuse for being a predator

This whole story is literally so disturbing but I'm happy STEPHANIE is tell it and sheding light to stories like these. ❤

These Jpop , K pop stars aren't killing themselves for no reason. The music industry is an incredibly dark place where many predators reside and NO ONE is protecting these young people. It's disgusting and sad.

I’m Japanese and have even stanned a few of the idol groups under Johnny’s and I always thought they were just rumors…. The boys that are currently in the media always praise him to be their father figure and how well they were taken care of…. That’s crazy…. I can’t believe that there was such an awful side to this… thank you for covering this story.

He was a pedo and took advantage of those boys and he manipulated them into thinking it was ok. It’s sick and disgusting and he should not be remembered for being the pioneer of J-pop but for being a person who used his position and power to take advantage of minors. Thank you for covering the story. I feel so sick to my stomach after hearing this. People that commit crimes against children are the most vile and should be condemned whether they are dead or alive.

The age of consent being thirteen to this day must be a joke. It is like they are putting them on a platter for predators. It is just outrageous and unbelievable.

This case had been pushed aside for so long, I thought no one would talk about it again. I'm so glad that you used your platform to bring awareness of the disgusting things Johnny Kitagawa had done during his reign in the J-pop industry.

I hope people realize that this predatory system also leaked through in kpop. There's so many reports of former idols and former trainees in Korea where they exposed how unsafe it was and explain the unsafe things happened to them. It's extremely sick and not limited to just Japan or Asia.

As a Japanese and as a sexual minority, I am truly outraged. I feel deep despair that this country and its society still do not take this issue seriously. It is symbolic that the BBC was the first to take up this issue. I have come to this conclusion after watching many things, not just this case, and after watching the reactions to this incident for several months: This society does not reflect and change anything. They don't think, even if they vaguely think "this is not good, All they do is postpone and ignore the problem, and that's it. Even more distressing, Johnny's fans even attack the accusers. And Takuya Kimura, arguably the most successful Japanese actor of all time, said, "Show must go on. The Japanese seem to be somewhat amused by this idiotic celebrity, But... This is the lyric by FREDDIE MERCURY They don't really understand this humiliating meaning at all. F Thanks for reading this far. Hopefully, everyone overseas will put more pressure on this country for this. I understand this is weird, but Japanese society is so rigid that it never really reflects on itself. No matter that animators of works that the world is crazy about are forced to work for low wages, If illegal connections between politics and religion are revealed, If "anti-gaming ordinances" are enacted by local governments, using clearly fabricated public comments, They quickly forget about it. The problem will never be solved. Do you think I'm someone who really hates Japan? Never. I love my country and just can't tolerate such shame.

The people that think this doesn’t happen in the US need to read the stories of Lou Pearlman (the founder of NSync and boy bands). He was a sick groomer as well.

This case triggers me so much because 1: i'm an sa victim/survivor 2: i had cases pending but they were instantly closed bc of lack of evidence and 3: my story was never heard or believed by anyone My heart goes out to the victims and may they get the justice they deserve

The thing I consider most vile is how someone uses their reputation or authority/power to do disgusting acts like this and get away with it for so long is what I can’t even consider as a human being but some horrific creature that just lives for making things a living hell because they can

This case made me sick in the stomach. I feel Soo bad for the trainees who had to deal with that disgusting man almost every night

I wouldn't say he "slept with" them so much as manipulated, coerced, sexually assaulted, and r*ped them. Think the title is a bit soft on him.

I used to think that having a little girl would be so stressful because of how hard you have to protect them from the world and predators. But the more I look in this direction the more I realize how serious this problem is even for boys.

The legal age in jp for consent is 13?!! But you can't even drink or smoke until your 20! Or drive a car until your 18?!!!yet at 13 they concider you mature enough to accept sexual advances ?! Here In nz, the legal age for consent is 16

He absolutely chose some of those candidates purely b/c he found them attractive and not necessarily b/c he thought they’d make good idols. Like the fact that so many were in training for *years* but never debuted or actually became idols, makes me think he kept them around purely so he could abuse them and then when they were “too old” for him he would fire them. Vile, *vile* monster I hope he rots

as an ex-johnny’s entertainment fan and someone who is half japanese, this case left me so heartbroken. the thing that frustrated me the most was the past allegations getting swept under the rug so fast, the media was QUIET about it so i had no idea when i was younger. my heart is with the victims, who must have been terrified to speak up. the one good thing is that it’s finally starting to get the attention it should have been getting. sucks kitagawa can’t be held accountable though. thank you for covering this story stephanie.

I am so glad Stephanie covered this case, it's been put aside for way too long. It's infuriating how he got away with this. It sickens me to the core and I'm so glad you're bringing some light to this! I hope all of the victims are doing well, and I hope they will NEVER EVER experience such events again, no one deserves this. This is utterly horrendous, unacceptable what he did.

When you were talking about how the body still feels the pleasure even if the brain doesn’t want it, I really related to that because I’ve struggled with that in my SA experience. thank you for covering this and expressing the awfulness of this case

Stockholm syndrome is so hard to break out of. This episode is hard to listen to cause it’s… just awful. But I’m glad that you are raising awareness. Especially so that male SA victims can hear they’re not alone and there’s NOTHING wrong with them.

I was growing up in Japan and as a kid I idolize a lot of JA idols. If you don't live in Japan, you won't really know the power they held in the entertainment industry. They were not only producing idols, but also actors and even newscasters. At their peak, literally no popular J-Drama or J-Movie without any actors from JA. They are literally everywhere, companies from snack company to airlines use JA idols as their ambassadors. To measure their power over fans, even a concert for a newly formed idol group can fill up the Tokyo Dome. When you live in Japan it's impossible for you to not know JA and their idols. But since I left Japan I don't follow up with any JA idols anymore and this news is really shocking for me. I can't imagine what these boys went through and yet they still can give their smile and best performance for their fans on stage 🥲🥲🥲

As a person who had been groomed at age 13, then SA at 14, I was also confused by how my child self had no idea that what happened were crimes. As a kid, those acts are uncomfortable, painful and disgusting, but my brain couldn’t understand it was SA. It took years after the SA and a talk with a therapist to realize what happened were crimes. Then slowly, I was able to feel that anger and pain from SA. And that spell his grooming had over me was broken. Truth shattered it. But living in a lie, like the other victims of Johnny is much easier than if they accept they were SA victims. So they’d rather brush it off and say Johnny was a nice person who was a lil too “affectionate”.

Japan's culture is super backward. It's so sad how so many victims' voices are dismissed when Johnny died. Whether Johnny is alive or dead, he did what he did. Kudos to those trainees and idols who spoke out about Johnny. I hope they get therapy and support to heal from the emotional and sexual abuse they went through.

A lot of the little boys were often enrolled by their moms, who themselves were Johnnies fans. The dream of being an idol was not always theirs. Imagine wanting your kid to be successful in your favourite idol company and unknowingly handing them over to abuse. :(

i was saed by my sister ex boyfriend that had a kid with her i told many ppl when i was 13 to try get help to not have to go and stay at my sisters house and i was told he wouldn't do that and I'm a liar so yeah society needs to stop disregarding sa of men or child males.. my sister almost enjoyed forcing me to stay with him while she got the milk or something like that this man is now a truck driver and started a new family with new babies he's a pedophile and its made me sick my whole life knowing the system will always protect ppl like that

As someone who was groomed into thinking gross things were out of "love" or "validation" and was exploited because of an abuse of power imbalance by many many people, alongside other victims who were also brainwashed, hearing this entire case made me absolutely sick. There are so many different factors in these types of environments that make victims feel like they have/want to endure bad things, even if it isn't that way at all. Especially when it's attached to something you're passionate about. I really appreciate that you mentioned how people often feel like it was their fault and only realize they were a victim when they're much older and see different perspectives. It's a very scary and confusing process to slowly realize that, and even scarier to speak out about it in the face of a big company who has the power to silence them. The fact that the victims mustered so much courage to speak up about it and reach others to warn them, but was met with little to no support and being dismissed by media, is such a horrible thing. I also appreciate that you mentioned how sometimes to cope, victims will refuse to see what they went through as abuse and instead romanticize it to make it easier to handle mentally. The fact you mentioned that abusers take advantage of that to further manipulate the victims was also something so new to me, I feel like that isn't acknowledged in a lot of places. Although this video was heartbreaking, it was very well done, and my heart goes out to all victims of sexual assault/exploitation.

Thanks for shedding light on this. I was a J-Pop fan before becoming a K-Pop fan. Unfortunately he passed away in 2019. It is unbelievable that his company debuted some of the most famous and most loved male J-Pop idols. He is also viewed as a "national treasue" in Japan too like jeez

@1:11:00 oh my god Jin Akanishi? God... I used to be very into J-Pop from 2004-2014 and also watched J-Dramas... I was in love with KAT-TUN, the group Jin Akanishi was originally in, and Arashi as well... It breaks my heart to think of what they might have gone through...

Thank you for covering this! I'm sorry I haven't finished the video but I just have to say that as a fan of the idols from his company, I can attest that the fandom is well aware of all of his allegation and very much detest him. You don't even know how glad we are when he passed away back in 2019. It still hurts me whenever the idols speak so highly of him even after he passed away, knowing what horrible things he might have done to them in the past. He is a disgusting monster and we all hope he rot in hell.

This reminds me of the Saville case in the UK. It was known that he abused kids but nothing was done until after his death, where the extent of his crimes were finally revealed. 😔 Unfortunately, horrible things like that can happen anywhere. I didn't know Japan had their own Saville... This is bad. Thanks for the info!

he died a happy, successful man which is the reality for way too many vile, cruel criminals. always comes down to power

Being a fan of ARASHI, SixTONES, I knew everything about Johnny and how scummy he was. Especially when so many of "his" idols have been diagnosed with panic disorder and other mental health issues. And then debuting a 11 year old in a group called SEXY ZONE, like when the news broke out I was so mad and because of how gatekept Johnny had his idols (aka no music available outside of Japan unless you buy their CDs from a proxy site), so unless you were in the know and kept up with the company, most people didn't know. Marius Yo retired from the industry in december of 2022, which I'm glad for as he had a lot happen to him since 11 and obviously was a trainee for the 10 months leading to his debut in 2011, so I'm glad he's feeling better and just not in the company anymore. Other than that I just like the image of Johnnys funeral with all the idols to where majority of them are smiling!! Like they're happy the evil is finally gone, it honestly looks like a sport photo with how its framed and how there's 1 giving a thumbs up, some of the older idols just looking as if they're cheering. Great telling of this monster that the industry couldn't go against it because of all the power and monopoly he had.

It doesn't matter what sexuality you are, if you're a bad person, you're a bad person. End of.

This is creepy. I remember being obsessed with Yamapi because he was such a bishonen and talented. There was one song that I learned parts of the words from because he sang with SO much passion. One of my Japanese classmates asked if I knew the meaning of what I was singing. Sawarenai is the word that stuck with me. It means dont touch(?) That singer left the company after a scandal. I never looked into the details. Now I wonder.

I don't even consider male predators that go after young boys as gay, they don't have a sexuality they're just vile. Whilst I didn't go through what they went through and my abuse was different I still would throw a party if my abuser died.

I think this is such a sad story... He basically took advantage of ambitious, hungry and hopeful artists. And to make things worse, since there are a lot of harmful stereotypes around masculinity, no one seemed to care too much or give it too much attention. I hope the young men find peace and feel safe within their minds and bodies again.

This is the same type of practice that happens in the US as well. It's sinful and absolutely sickening. Not everything that glitters is gold.

Yes!! This needs to be heard!! i’m japanese and im a a big fan of some of the groups! (sixtones) It’s always hard for me to hear the boys in there yt channels talk so highly of mr. johnny and thank him for stuff he’s done. I believe it’s also a part of the culture that you have to bare the pain and try not to bother your surroundings. Me, because i was raised in the US, i always find it so frustrating how many don’t speak up about it. Even in a public space, they wouldn’t raise there voice to stop someone from sexually harassing them, or even defend themselves

this is so disgusting, these podcasts really question me about general life, what is really going on behind everyone's minds. love this channel Stephanie, i feel like a lil detective when i listen to your podcasts

The K-pop and the J-pop phenomenon seems like slavery and nobody seems to talk about it that terms because it's wildly popular

That story reminds me of Jimmy Savile - a wildly accepted and succesful man in show-biz, ready to work with children, very charitable, who knew well what people want to hear and see and used that skill to make the crowds trust him completely. So much so that numerous victims spoke out only after his death.

I was an Arashi fan for a long time. Finding content with Arashi was a pain because they take down pretty much anything that were uploaded by fans. With this, now I wonder what Arashi went through. Jun was one of the "elite" because he was one of two or three who didn't go through auditions and got in Johnny's immediately after Johnny saw him, did that mean more than what they said it did???

This is disgusting. I remember when I told my dad I was assaulted, and he had already suspected me of being gay at that point, and the only thing he said to me was. “I didn’t grow up like that.” I just came out of the closet this year and I still struggle with thinking Im gay because I was assaulted as a kid.

I had been waiting for this episode Stephanie! Thanks for covering this scandal. Thankfully it’s finally blowing up on Japanese media now so hopefully something will come of it. My cousin was scouted by Johnny’s Entertainment while walking in Shibuya when he was 16. My aunt furiously refused to let him join and now I know why.

what hurts me most to hear from this case is that you cant help the victims unless you break them from this little bubble of twisted flowers they all created in their heads. and its like youre going to hurt these victims again and whats even worse is theres no guarantee you can even make them happy after making them face the facts.

I got into Kpop through first being interested in Jpop and Dorama. My favorite groups at the time were KAT-TUN and Hey!Say!Jump. This is sad to hear, what all these boys might have been going through, with a smile on their faces. Too bad that man didn't get to face the consequences of his actions. I hope whosoever were around, and might've been involved in any capacity, get's punished. There's no way some people who're still in the company currently, don't have knowledge or even participated in the SA of these boys.

I’ve never been angry but feel my heart drop at the same time. The instant Stephanie said his name I kept repeating “this has to be a joke, this can’t be real”. Growing up I was in LOVE with anime and I really liked the music played in the opening/endings and I realized I started liking Japanese music. So I started searching for myself and came across a TON of J-pop artists and one of them was KAT-TUN from J&A. When I say I loved these guys I literally plastered my entire bedroom wall with all of their posters/pictures, I tried playing their songs on piano by ear (the internet was still growing so finding sheets were IMPOSSIBLE) I was DEDICATED to this group… until I got older and then discovered Kpop so eventually I forgot about them slowly but I never stopped listening to them, even today I still have some favourites saved. I found the group when I was 13. It’s been 15 years and I’m now hearing about these horrible and absolutely disgusting crimes and I’m honestly wondering how I just didn’t freaking know. Like Stephanie said there were allegations since the 90s so why the hell didn’t I know this?! I’m so heartbroken and my childhood is completely ruined by this vile man. I can’t believe I supported a man/company who participated in such disgusting crimes and I just didn’t know or even bother to research. I feel so heavy and I hope all the artists that were victims find some version of peace for themselves. Personally I just want to apologize for supporting such a disgusting man, for some reason this is hitting me really hard and I can’t help but feel like I was part of the problem. I don’t even listen to kpop that much anymore just because I don’t like the system they’re forced to work in in order to “make it” I still listen to Korean/Japanese music, I just avoid the idol factories, and now because of this I think I will continue to keep my distance. I feel so guilty but I wish nothing but the best peaceful lives for these men and I hope more continue to speak out against this demon, although I know it’s hard, especially for men to come out, but people NEED to know about his disgusting actions. Fuck this guy and everything he’s built under this facade, it’s time for him to go.

1:12:37 I agree to that. I am a Filipino and was taught by the older generation that no matter how evil a person was when he's living, when he dies we should be very respectful. That respect does not necessarily have to be for the deceased but their family who's grieving. There's a saying "A person becomes the kindest when he dies. " True enough, we only hear good things about the deceased during their funerals...

The victims saying good things and wishing Kitagawa a long life reminds me of Jerry Sandusky case I read in the book Talking to Strangers. The victims invited Sandusky to their weddings, let him meet their spouses and babies, had pleasant meals together and waved the abuse as if it were nothing. I can't imagine how many mental gymnastics the victims have to do to cope. To quote the book: "Sexual-abuse cases are complicated, wrapped in layers of shame and denial and clouded memories, and few high-profile cases were as complicated as Jerry Sandusky’s." It seems like Kitagawa's case is one of those cases.

Thank you for bringing this issue to light. I am pretty sure this kind of atrocity does not happen only in J Idol companies but in idol companies worldwide. I hope more people will have the courage to speak up against child grooming and expose these predators for what they truly are, monsters in human disguise.

Wow, this is so sad that he was able to hurt so many children… I can’t believe he died a free man. So messed up, my heart goes out to all of his many victims.

As a Japanese, I feel so embarrassed how Japanese media still treats him like a someone who deserves to be looked up to. I actually have been following one of boy groups from this company, so I was so shocked how disgusting their boss is. I feel so bad for them.

God how I wished i had a therapist like the one who was interviewed. Growing up as a male victim is such a confusing and difficult time just like the victims of this case. N e ways good vid

Stephanie, please keep making more content on Asian crimes and stories. Since, I had discovered your channel I was able to be more informed and keep up with the current news.

I have many friends in the industry here and they can confirm that so much of this is true but people looked the other way because Kitagawa had so much power. He could totally cancel tv stations, artists and just anyone if he wanted to. The reason why this is out now? Cause he's been dead for a while. But he was a pervert and hurt so many people...but there's a lot of those who ignored his crimes. Very sad.

learning about this case makes me feel sick. I was obsessed with Hey! Say! JUMP and KAT-TUN through my middle school and high school years and now that I’m learning about this, I feel terrible and in hindsight, I think I always found it a little weird that my favorite HSJ member auditioned to debut when he was only 10-11 yrs old but never really thought anything of it until now

Just after hearing your podcast about this last week, I was able to talk about this with one of my Japanese students. She was a big fan of Johnny's when she was a highschool student. She also talked about how disgusted she was with Johnny and how sad it is because of howw the media portrayed it to be just rumors. I personally think the same way as her, just imagine the mental manipulation they did to the trainees and idols and the trauma. I just hope that wherever that sick bastard is, somehow, someway, he's paying for all the disgusting things he did.

As a victim of attempted CSA. I already blame myself for everything. People telling me “why did you let it happen” makes me sick… and what also hurts is the fact that your first kiss is supposed to be the biggest milestone of your life. My first kiss was with a child predator. To everyone going through this, we go through this together. We are not victims, we are survivors.

You’re my favorite youtuber and I can’t thank you enough for covering these not as known cases to spread light and awareness. You’re an angel and a light Stephanie ✨

1:19 in her British era 🤭

It's more like a stockholm syndrome where the idols still feel grief of johnny's death even after getting abused by the old man.

I appreciate you covering this case and breaking it down the way you do, giving a voice to the victims. I'm so enraged this man got away with it for years and zero consequences. I feel like it should be talked about more! Prevent it from happening for future generations and for those victims their voices to finally be heard and believed, they deserve that and so much more.

Bless Koji for coming out with his info and opening those floodgates.

Thank you for a well researched, well thought out, and very well presented story on something so sensitive. It's time we protect those who can not protect themselves. Thank you!

I'm pretty sure Jennifer Lawrence was discovered in a mall. Someone just came up to her and was like, "Do you want to be a model?" It's actually kind of creepy. I think I'd tell the guy to leave me alone. (Unless it was a woman, but it's still creepy.) And the person had no idea that she could act, but she went on to become one of the youngest people to win an Oscar for Best Actress. It's a crazy story.

We need to make this video go viral as a way to spread awareness

The Japanese P Diddy

I appreciate this so much thank you!! Please please do a follow up because this case is BLOWING UP in Japan. The other day Kauan Okamoto and Yasushi Hashida the two upspoken victims went to the government office to request for improvement in the sexual assault laws!!!!

You're such an amazing storyteller! I watch a lot of crime etc and you're one of the few who can captivate me this way just with the way you tell the stories

This is so horrendous and despicable. It just seems to me that many of the victims excused the abuse away because they couldn't psychologically accept what had happen to them so in their minds they had to either justified Johnny actions or excuse it away. One has to think about this behavior happening today in the music and movie business on a global scale. Look at Weinstein and what he did to many actresses for years. Others knew about his behavior and just accepted it and dismissed it. And yes, Weinstein often used blackmail of holding the actress career in his hand.

This case is absolutely disgusting I feel really bad for the victims!! 😢

I have a best friend who is Japanese ( born and raised in Tokyo, even ) and we were watching the documentary together. She said that she remembers seeing this in real life and was completely disgusted by what was said because she was a fan of idols that were founded by Johnny. She even cried when she found out ( she was a victim of SA as well ). She still believes that this story needs to be shared to the world.

This is not just for j-pop, but it happens to ALL entertainment industries around the world.

This actually clarified alot for me as I went through a similar situation when I was 14 I was groomed by an older Japanese student and was ultimately shunned by the Japanese exchange community at school when I eventually came out about the trauma -which resulted in my school giving me an ultimatum about leaving or staying and them finding a way to expell me (as the fee paying students on exchange are financial assets to the school and their image). Was so surprised because where I live, it's totally acceptable to talk about your trauma and seek help

A family friend had an encounter with Johnny when he was a minor. He will be referred to as "FF" here. FF had a friend who was a J&A trainee and was visiting him in his dorm room one day. Then Johnny himself came into the dorm and joined their conversation. A short while later, FF realized that Johnny had put some kind of powder on FF's feet and was licking it up. FF was so disgusted that he kicked Johnny in the face. Apparently, Johnny was shocked, said something like “You’re so rude!” and quickly left the dorm.

Japan actually changed the age of consent from 13 to 16 in June 2023.

This is very saddening, I recall visiting my family in Japan for the first time back in 2016 and when I noticed a group singing on TV and asking my Aunt who they where she immediately said "ohh thats a Johnny, you can tell by how they look, they all have a certain look to them because that's the look Johnny likes." I remember being very taken aback by the comment and even asking her what she meant by "that's the look Johnny likes" and she told me that everyone knows that "Johnny has a certain taste and look that he likes from his idols" my Aunt made it seem like it was just a normal everyday common sense thing that I felt maybe I was the one looking or taking that comment wrongly because I was American an maybe it was a miss translation or culture thing. I feel bad and shocked at how easy it is to overlook something that felt weird and wrong and just brush it off as it must be normal since no one else sees it as an issue.

He was a legend and I was surprised to hear This. So many stars who have started really young in his entertainment company. Johnny’s Juniors is the IT groups and Idols. His company is never going down, and it is sad. the company is the core of J-POP. He died and nobody knew about this but the victims. And the most saddest thing is Japan Law and society doesn’t protect people who suffer such situations.