14-11-2023 (TOKYO) In a disturbing turn of events, a man in his 40s, who accused the late founder of Japan’s leading boy-band agency of sexual abuse, has reportedly died by suicide following relentless online harassment. The victim, part of a group of alleged victims, was discovered lifeless in western Osaka prefecture in October, as per information from police sources cited by public broadcaster NHK.
The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, faced disparaging comments on social media platforms after publicly accusing Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of the prominent boy band empire Johnny & Associates, of sexual abuse. Kitagawa passed away at the age of 87 in 2019. The agency admitted in September that Kitagawa had sexually assaulted teenage boys and young men aspiring for stardom over several decades.
Before his tragic death, three members of the group of alleged victims had filed reports to the police detailing the online harassment they endured after going public with accusations of sexual abuse. The deceased victim had sought action from the boy band agency against the abuse, but the family claimed that the agency merely called for a halt to the harassment without taking substantive measures.
According to NHK and other local media, the family released a statement expressing their distress, stating that the deceased victim reported the sexual abuse to the agency in May but received no response, except a promise to reply. The family revealed that the emotional distress of the victim worsened due to the recurrence of the sexual trauma he had initially endured.
In response to the allegations and the tragic outcome, Johnny & Associates announced in October that it would be rebranded as “Smile-Up” and solely dedicated to addressing survivors of Kitagawa’s abuse. The agency announced its closure, with plans to transfer its talent to a new management company.
Allegations of Kitagawa’s abuse surfaced in Japanese media as early as 1999, but it wasn’t until 2023 that a full-scale reckoning occurred, prompted by a BBC documentary and brave victims coming forward to denounce the abuse.
