Japan’s public broadcaster NHK mentioned Wednesday it’ll contract entertainers from Starto Entertainment Inc, the successor to the scandal-hit male expertise company Johnny & Associates Inc., after deeming measures to compensate the victims of sexual abuses by its late founder are progressing.
The resolution, efficient the identical day, consists of permitting performers from the company to look on the community’s year-end dwell music present “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” or purple and white tune contest, NHK President Nobuo Inaba mentioned at a press convention.
“We have confirmed that in addition to compensation for the victims and efforts to prevent recurrence, the separation of management is also steadily progressing,” mentioned Inaba.
The broadcaster halted new contracts with performers from the company in September final 12 months, following allegations from a whole bunch of people that claimed they have been sexually abused by the corporate’s founder, Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019.
As a outcome, no performers from the company have been invited to the year-end music present final 12 months for the primary time in 44 years.
Starto Entertainment was established to handle performers from Johnny & Associates within the wake of the scandal, whereas the corporate itself was renamed Smile-Up Inc and is now devoted to offering redress to the sexual abuse victims.
Smile-Up, which might be disbanded as soon as the victims have been compensated, mentioned it had reached compensation agreements with 510 folks as of Tuesday.
TV Tokyo Corp, the one main industrial broadcaster to have suspended new contracts with Starto Entertainment performers, additionally mentioned earlier this month it could finish the suspension.
Johnny’s was shaped in 1962 and went on to propel SMAP, Arashi and quite a few different teams to stardom. Allegations towards Kitagawa got here beneath renewed scrutiny after a BBC documentary was aired in March final 12 months that includes interviews with a number of folks claiming to have been abused by the pop mogul.
© KYODO