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.

this case is absolutely disgusting - my heart goes out to all the victims

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.

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.

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.

As one of the young Japanese, I want everyone know that Johnnys’ popularity and power in the entertainment industry are insanely strong so that literally no media reported about his crimes. It’s not like we hate the person who speaks up for sexual assault but we just don’t know about and media don’t inform us bc they want be against Johnnys’ company. However, many media have started to talk about it very recently so everyone finally knows what has been happening. And many people say this must not be allowed. Sorry for my bad English but I just wanna say that our generation never repeat this kind of tragedy.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 😢

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 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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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...

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.

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

It's in the group names he didn't even bother to hide them "kinky boys" "sexy zone" and even publish photos of them wearing barely clothes.. I loathed him and I hope there's a special place in hell for him

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 🥲🥲🥲

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.

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.

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. :(

Your videos are great for informing everyone about the disgusting truth of how the world works…thanks for being such a great storyteller.

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

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

Before Kpop when I was about 13 to 17 years-old I was a Jrock and Jpop fan. Its crazy since being Black and American I'd be told how weird I was for liking them but they really cheered my up when I was having a hard time. My favorites being KATTUN and NYC from Hey Say Jump. To this day I can remember their names off the top of my head. The guy who wrote that song was Akanishi Jin, he used to be the A in KATTUN. It was only until much later did I find out this was happening. Seeing the boys' faces that I loved so much knowing what I know now is quite painful. Especially since there is no justice now for the victims.

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

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

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.

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!

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 almost identical to the manager of N'Sync (and other bands) as well as the manager of B2K (and other bands).

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!

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 made my heart hurt. I'm a massive fan of SMAP, and just thinking that the boys may have been victims of this horrible man 😢

Shivers runs down my spine....knowing that the victim suffers more and more while the culprit even after his crimes came out got away and not only that he also got the respect after his death....while the victims only suffer more and more in their life.

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.

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.

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???

I never heard about this case until recently because my family brought it up… The fact the media didn’t report on this is just insane… I was so shocked when I saw what disgusting things that have been happening :( I have so much respect for the person who spoke about his experience.

Thank you for bringing up this topic. As someone who mainly listens to music from Japan, albeit not exactly pop (mostly), it's inevitable to have heard Johnny's name at least once or twice in passing, as well as the boy bands under him. To be honest, I didn't really know a thing about them until I watched this video. It's amazing that you unpacked so much here, from the facts to the whispered truths that will probably never settle as heavy a thought as it should to the vast Japanese population. I guess it's as you said, that from an Asian culture with some similar values shared in Japan, you can like, talk about this subject with more cultural depth than someone who's detached from the Asian mindset would approach this, and I really appreciate that. This video really made me think about how complex this situation is, and you can't say a single sentence about this topic with just a single emotion. There's just so much - too much - to think and say about. Not just from an outsider's perspective, but to the Japanese mass and even the people directly involved - you can't really generally categorize, or neatly define one view they hold towards Johnny's actions, and himself as a whole. It's almost like an impossible maze where people refuse to acknowledge what happened as it did, in the end leaving people like me who can only watch as outsiders kind of frustrated with what they choose to see and believe. Hell, from what I can imagine, some of the victims themselves might get angry on Johnny's behalf and for pitying the, never acknowledging the idea that what happened to them was abuse. I try to believe that in recent years, Japan's been moving towards progression more, and while it's still iffy to think about the mass accepting something as huge-scale and culturally impacting as a big figure being an emotionally-manipulative (that's what it sounded like to me) predator, I just hope that the victims find peace, and for one day the truth to be spoken unabashedly, and for people in Japan to stop hiding under the guises of reverence and respect with the shame and avoidance for topics they should really start facing head-on.

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

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.

I used to tell my fangirl classmates this 15 years ago when i was still in high school but they never believed me. It was all over the internet but they decided to not even look it up. I wish i still talked to those girls, i wanna see their reactions.

It’s a form of coercive control, as well. We really need this to be against the law everywhere around the world. I feel so badly for the boys being a survivor, myself.

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

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

This is so sad. I feel like this is what they mean when they say “sell your soul to the devil” accepting abuse or doing something outside of your moral standards in exchange for something you want. 😢

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

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

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 think you did a an amazing job unpacking this controversial topic and story. Your perspective and depth is really commendable.

I got goosebumps hearing this. The fact that this is not new to any entertainment industry either in Asia or anywhere in the world. Sadly often times, powerful criminals mostly got away with this.

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’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.

Watching this episode brought back a lot of memories from the past for me. I migrated to the States when I was 13 years old....where the grooming had started for me. Many years later when my wife and I sought therapy, I remember my therapist asking me to write a letter to my abuser telling him off and say all these negative things to him for having ruined my life as a child. The following session I never completed the letter nor wanted to complete it. MY therapist asked why I didn't want to confront my abuser via my letter. I simply told him, that I didn't feel any hostility toward my abuser, in fact, I partly blamed myself for it because I felt like perhaps I egged him and many others on, even though I was merely 5 or 6 years old.

I didn't know about this man! Just googled "his" groups and I recognized almost all... that's so scary

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...

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.

In the early 00s I was REALLY into Jpop. Arashi was my favorite group, and yes, they were Johnny's. Knowing now what went on, it makes me so sad for all the idols I loved.

I remember I found this out only about 5 years ago and I heard about the book but was so devastated by how people in Japan ignored it and Johnny’s was still thriving, honestly heartbroken

Thank you for this. This is totally disturbing and disgusting. I would image this happens a lot in music industry. Whether it is jPop or K-pop. Or even Hollywood. These nasty people need to be called out. This is not ok

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.

The cultural context is so vital. Thank you for providing a fuller picture of what’s been going on.

He picked nice boys for a reason