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Smile Up President Noriyuki Higashiyama Steps Down
posted on by Alex Mateo
Amidst the changes, Smile Up will continue to be responsible for handling the compensation measures for sexual abuse victims of the agency's late founder Johnny Kitagawa, a process that started in November 2023. The company will shut down after the compensation measures are completed.
Higashiyama announced in October 2023 that the Johnny & Associates agency would change its name to Smile Up starting on October 2023, as part of the company's "vision" to earn back fans' trust. Higashiyama had previously stated the company will not change its name, adding that more than the name representing the founder, it "more importantly expresses the energy and pride that talents have cultivated over the years."
During that time, the Johnny & Associates agency established a separate new entity Starto Entertaintment in December 2023 to oversee talent management operations.
Higashiyama replaced Julie Keiko Fujishima, the former president of the agency, in September 2023. However, Higashiyama had also been accused of sexually assaulting young boys. When asked about abuse allegations, he replied that he did not remember if the reported acts did or did not occur. Regarding claims that he bullied younger performers, he said that it was "possible that he had been stricter with them", and that he may have done things when he was younger that he would not do now. He also admitted that he had heard of the rumors about Kitagawa, but stated that he could not and did not do anything about it. Higashiyama retired as an actor that year, and was the oldest active member of the agency.
Kitagawa's Allegations
Fujishima had previously stated in September 2023 when the agency publicly admitted for the first time that Kitagawa did sexually abuse a large number of aspiring pop star teenagers from the 1970s to 2010s.
At the press conference that September, then-president Fujishima stated she was retiring as president, but would remain the representative director and owner of the company. The agency stated it is taking measures to compensate for the damage caused and prevent reoccurrences.
After the September press conference, sponsors in Japan announced they would not renew contracts with Johnny's, or indicated they would disassociate themselves from the agency. NHK stated afterwards that it would "not make new requests to entertainers from ... [the agency] to perform in its programs for the time being." This policy extended to the popular New Year's Eve music program Kohaku Uta Gassen.
Meanwhile, more alleged victims had also come forward with stories of abuse, including former Kis-My-Ft2 member Kyohei Iida. Kyodo News reported that Higashiyama said during the press conference in 2023 that the committee established to oversee the compensation measures had "so far received consultations from 478 sex abuse victims, with 325 of them seeking compensation."
March 2023 BBC Report Leads to External Probe
In March 2023, the BBC released an hour-long documentary titled Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop, which detailed "a long history of allegations of sexual abuse, made by boys in [Kitagawa's] agency" and why "the Japanese media remained largely silent."
In April 2023, Kauan Okamoto, a Japanese-Brazilian singer and songwriter, held a press conference and claimed Kitagawa abused him about 15 to 20 times between 2012-2016 when he was still a member of the agency, and said he knew at least three other people who had also been abused.
After Okamoto's press conference, a group of fans and idols held a press conference that May stating they had sent a petition to Johnny & Associates calling on the company to apologize and launch an investigation.
An external probe set up in late May 2023 to investigate Kitagawa concluded that August that Kitagawa sexually abused members of the agency for decades, and that the agency had covered up Kitagawa's behavior. Kitagawa's family members had allegedly known what he was doing and did not do anything to stop him.
Kitagawa's Death and Past Allegations
Kitagawa died at 87 in July 2019 due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage (a form of stroke). Fujishima then became president in September 2019.
Kitagawa founded Johnny & Associates in 1962 after establishing the male idol group Johnnys. Johnny & Associates went on to establish and manage many male idol groups such as SMAP, Arashi, Tokio, KinKi Kids, V6, KAT-TUN, and Hey! Say! JUMP. The members of idol groups under the management of Johnny & Associates are collectively known as "Johnny's."
Kitagawa previously faced allegations of sexual misconduct during his career. The Shukan Bunshun magazine published 14-week expose in 1999 detailing accusations of child abuse and sexual exploitation. However, the accusations never resulted in formal criminal charges. Kitagawa and Johnny & Associates sued the magazine, and the magazine lost the first trial in March 2002. However, the magazine effectively won its Tokyo High Court appeal in July 2003. The High Court's decision stated the alleged victims' testimonies were "generally consistent" and "specific, frank, and detailed." The decision also stated Kitagawa had "no concrete counterargument or rebuttal evidence."
Update: Clarfied background with more information.
Sources: Smile Up via Hachima Kikо̄, NTV News via Yahoo! News,
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history