NEVADA (TR) – Two former entertainers for the company previously often known as Johnny & Associates have filed a lawsuit in a court docket right here over alleged sexual assaults by the previous president Johnny Kitagawa at a lodge in Las Vegas.
Junya Tanaka and Kyohei Iida, each of whom have been members of Johnny & Associates, are looking for a complete of 300 million {dollars}, or 46 billion yen, in damages from Japanese agency Smile-Up., the present title of the company.
Various different individuals and firms, together with Starto Entertainment, which now handles the enterprise of Johnny & Associates, are additionally listed within the swimsuit, stories Nippon News Network (Dec. 20).
According to the lawsuit, Tanaka claims that he was sexually assaulted by former president Johnny Kitagawa at a lodge and different places in Las Vegas in 1997, when he was 15 years outdated. Iida additionally claims that he was sexually assaulted by the previous president on the similar lodge in 2002, when he was 14 years outdated.
In response to this, a consultant from Smile-Up. commented, “We will continue to consult with American lawyers and take appropriate action.”
A consultant from Starto Entertainment mentioned, “We are unrelated to this matter and see no reason for us to be sued. So, we are very confused.”
“Predator”
For a long time, Kitagawa skilled younger boys to grow to be stars inside his company Johnny & Associates. Last yr, the BBC documentary “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop” make clear sexual abuse carried out by Kitagawa. As a end result, the corporate modified its title to Smile-Up. and arrange a session desk for the victims.
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 rationale for the lapse was Kitagawa’s immense energy he wielded over the media, whose retailers used his stars of their programming.