TOKYO (TR) – A victims’ affiliation established to help and compensate these sexually assaulted by the late pop mogul Johnny Kitagawa will disband since its aid and compensation targets have been achieved, the affiliation has revealed.
On Tuesday, representatives from the Johnny’s Sexual Assault Victims’ Association mentioned that it’ll stop on September 7, precisely one 12 months after executives from Johnny and Associates acknowledged sexual abuse as perpetrated by founder Kitagawa, who died in 2019 on the age of 87.
In a joint assertion issued by former consultant Junya Hiramoto and deputy consultant Shimon Ishimaru, mentioned that they’re glad with what they’ve achieved so far as aiding victims with regard to aid and compensation, reviews the Sankei Shimbun (Sep. 3).
They defined in a joint assertion, “Considering the progress to date, with around 500 people having reached agreement, we believe that the majority of what we have sought as an association has been achieved.”
For victims who’ve been unable to obtain compensation or aid and are deemed “ineligible” or who’re not sure methods to report, the affiliation mentioned, “From now on, we will provide support to victims as individuals rather than as a group or organization.”
The affiliation was established in June of final 12 months, and commenced full-scale actions in July of the identical 12 months.
On September 7, 2023, Julie Fujishima resigned from her submit as chief government in gentle of the emergence of the scandal earlier that 12 months. “Both the agency itself and I myself as a person recognise that sex abuse by Johnny Kitagawa took place,” she mentioned.
Over 1,000 victims
For a long time, Kitagawa educated younger boys to turn out to be stars inside his company Johnny and Associates. Last 12 months, the BBC documentary “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop” make clear sexual abuse carried out by Kitagawa. As a outcome, the corporate modified its identify to SMILE-UP and arrange a session desk for the victims.
According to SMILE-UP, greater than 1,001 individuals had filed claims of sexual abuse by Kitagawa as of July 16.
For over 50 years, Japan’s media did not report on the sexual abuse carried out by Kitagawa regardless of victims having come ahead. This failure continued even after Kitagawa died in 2019.
The BBC documentary mentioned that the explanation for the the lapse was Kitagawa’s immense energy he wielded over the media, whose shops used his stars of their programming.