[News] J&A president, issues formal apology over sexual assault claim - full Q&A
Content warning: sexual assault, grooming
Julie Fujishima, president of Johnny & Associates, has issued a public video apology regarding the issue of sexual abuse allegations against agency founder Johnny Kitagawa. The apology comes a month after Kauan Okamoto, a Japanese Brazilian singer and songwriter, claimed that Kitagawa sexually abused him as a teen.
I have translated the video message from Julie, as well as the written Q&A posted on the Johnny & Associates webpage, where Julie answered the questions posed by various parties.
Julie's video message:
This is Fujishima Julie, president of Johnny & Associates.
We sincerely apologize for the public uproar caused by the claims of sexual assault committed by our founder, Johnny Kitagawa.
Firstly, we are deeply sorry to those that have claimed to be victims. We are also deeply sorry for causing a great amount of disappointment and uncertainty for our stakeholders and fans.
Although it is very late, we will be providing a written response to the questions that we have received from various parties.
Q&A with President Julie Fujishima
Q: Why wasn’t a press conference held right away?
Firstly, we felt that we had to establish the facts and deal with this matter responsibly. Since this is an extremely delicate and sensitive matter which concerns the privacy of individuals, we had to engage the support of counsellors, lawyers and such while meeting with the parties who have come forward. As we also carried out internal investigations, conferred on specific countermeasures and proceeded carefully with this matter, it unfortunately took some time before we were able to widely convey our message to everyone. We apologize for the late response.
Q: What was your response to the BBC documentary and Kauan Okamoto-san’s allegations?
If the claims were true, we firstly had to think about how to face those who have come forward as victims; it was a grave problem which would even question the continued existence of our agency. I thought that we needed to thoroughly establish the facts and respond with utmost sincerity.
Q: Were the BBC documentary and Kauan Okamoto-san’s claims true?
Naturally, I definitely do not think that problems do not exist. Moreover, from my personal and the company’s standpoint, we absolutely do not tolerate such acts.
On the other hand, as we are unable to establish the facts with Johnny Kitagawa, who is the party concerned, it is difficult for us to fully acknowledge or deny the respective claims as fact, and we had to carefully consider any secondary harm (to the victims), such as slander arising from speculation. Therefore, we seek your understanding in this matter.
That being said, we take it very seriously that there are people who are said to have been harmed right before our eyes.
Q: Did you or anyone at Johnny & Associates know about the sexual abuse committed by Johnny Kitagawa?
While I think that this is an issue that certainly cannot be resolved by saying that we were unaware, we did not know about it. I think it is necessary to explain this in the context of how decision-making and operations were carried out in Johnny & Associates back then.
I was a company executive[1] when Shukan Bunshun reported on this issue in 1999. However, for a long time, all the decision-making was carried out by only two people: Johnny Kitagawa, who produced the talents, and Mary Kitagawa[2], who had full authority in managing the company’s operations. I am ashamed to say this, but beyond these two persons, no one in the company, including myself, was allowed to have any say in the company’s management and direction beyond our assigned roles. Furthermore, for things which occurred at sites beyond our scope and the corresponding instructions which were given, these were never shared with the entire company in the first place and there wasn’t anything resembling a board of directors meeting. It was common that only these two people knew of critical information which concerned the company’s operations, such as this matter.
Without having to look back, I think that the state of things wasn’t normal. However, this is simply how we have operated and grew since 1962, “Johnny and Mary = Johnny & Associates”, this is unfortunately what all employees accepted as being natural. Personally, I was unable to sense how abnormal this system was, for which I am deeply ashamed and filled with regret.
Translator’s notes:
[1] I couldn’t find information on when Julie was appointed as a company executive. When the Johnny’s Entertainment music company was established in 1997, Julie was appointed as its first president.
[2] Johnny Kitagawa and Mary Kitagawa were siblings, and Julie Fujishima is Mary’s daughter. Julie was appointed as President of Johnny & Associates when Johnny Kitagawa passed away in 2019.
Q: When the Tokyo High Court ruled in Shukan Bunshun’s favor in 2003[3], did (the company) not acknowledge the sexual abuse even then? Also, were countermeasures not taken?
The defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny & Associates against Bungeishunju Ltd[4] was a response of Mary’s indignation towards the “intolerable falsehoods” within Shukan Bunshun’s articles. However, the details of the case were not shared with me at all, and I am embarrassed to say that I was unable to grasp the details until this incident occurred and I checked the story with the legal counsel who was in charge of the court case at that time.
This is purely my conjecture, but I think that with regard to Johnny’s questionable actions, Mary genuinely thought, “He couldn’t have done it. It’s impossible.” I think that explains why the civil case against (Bungeishunju Ltd) was initiated.
Eventually, we partially lost the case and it was concluded that Shukan Bunshun’s article did not amount to defamation; however, according to the legal counsel who handled the case at that time and interviews of the company executives involved, Johnny himself strongly denied the abuse allegations, so Mary and the legal counsel issued a stern warning to Johnny, telling him to “Stop doing things that would be misunderstood,” and it was limited to that. Either way, I had failed to proactively do my duty as a company director, which is a grave error on my part.
Translator’s notes:
[3] In 1999, the tabloid Shukan Bunshun published a series of articles that described sexual abuse of ten teenaged male talents. A Parliamentary hearing examined the claims, but Kitagawa denied everything and sued the magazine. In 2002 a court handed down a judgment in Kitagawa’s favor, levying $81,500 in damages. Shukan Bunshun appealed and in 2003 the Tokyo High Court ruled that the sexual abuse charges had validity, based on court testimony by two former Johnny’s talents, but not claims that the agency had supplied alcohol and tobacco to minors. (Schilling, M. (2019, July 18) Johnny Kitagawa: Power, Abuse, and the Japanese Media Omerta. Variety.)
[4] Bungeishunju Ltd is Shukan Bunshun’s publisher.
Q: What countermeasures are being taken to ensure this doesn’t happen again?
As we work out the steps to prevent such things from recurring, we have engaged lawyers and experts from various fields, and received guidance and opinions on the company’s issues and areas for improvement. As a basic premise, since I was appointed as the company’s representative, we have not relied on the notion that the entertainment industry is unique and have strengthened our compliance with measures such as:- Creating an anonymous hotline for (talents) who require support
- Carrying out briefings for minors who are accompanied by their parents/guardians
- Carrying out compliance education
- Involving parent/guardian participation from their homes
However, after this incident, in order to ensure something like this never happens again, we have established a Compliance Committee with the help of external parties and will strengthen our efforts, more so than ever before.
Furthermore, we will be drastically reviewing our management structure by welcoming an outside director[5], who will stringently assess (the organization), such as concerns about the way the company is and our corporate social responsibility, whether we have carried out our internal and external communications appropriately, and whether we are making decisions based only on the company’s values and practices. We are currently searching for the candidate and making offers. Once the new outside director has been confirmed, we will announce it accordingly.
Translator’s notes:
[5] Outside directors bring external experience and perspective to the company’s board. They keep a watchful eye on the inside directors and on the way the organization is run, and provide guidance on risk management and good corporate governance practices. They are typically not an employee or stakeholder in the company.
Q: Why wasn’t a third party committee established to thoroughly investigate this issue?
From the beginning, we were of the opinion that this issue shouldn’t be resolved solely within the company; together with the lawyers, external experts and professionals, we considered a thorough inquiry with the establishment of a third party committee. However, during an internal investigation, it was highly probable that parties who did not wish to be interviewed would be subject to the investigation, and the external experts also warned that the interviews might place psychological burdens on the interviewees and it must be handled with utmost care. We therefore chose a different approach to this problem.
For the parties who have already come forward with claims, or parties that may choose to come forward in the future, we will be setting up an external consultation service in May 2023 under the advice of external counselors, lawyers and doctors. In order to ensure the anonymity of the people seeking advice and to provide an objective listening ear, we intend to engage the help of an external specialist.
Q: Did you meet with Kauan Okamoto? If you did meet him, why did you do so?
I have met with him. I sat down with him directly and we spoke at length.[6] Something like this must never happen again. I realized that it was the reason why he came forward.
On the other hand, I also conveyed my opinion about the problems concerning the privacy of others and any remarks that might fuel speculation about this issue. Although there is still much to be done, he has provided the opportunity for us to change.
Translator’s notes:
[6] In this YouTube video, Okamoto said that he spoke to Julie for about 2 hours, during which she offered an apology. (Benoza, K. and Takahara, K. (2023, May 15) Major Japanese talent agency apologizes over sexual assault claims. The Japan Times.)
Q: How do you intend to respond to the people who have come forward with abuse claims?
We are currently working out the details, given the delicate nature of this topic. However, for those who have claimed to be victims or are suffering psychologically, we wish to respond to them sincerely with the help of counsellors and specialists. If we do not do that, there is no future for us.
Q: What do you think of your responsibility as management? Should you be responsible for this, how will you take responsibility for this issue?
I do feel that I have to be responsible for this. At that time, although I was a board member in name, I was unable to fulfill my duty. I feel that I also need to be accountable for not proactively learning about this issue or pursuing it. I have considered resigning as a way of taking responsibility. However, what needs to be done now is to face the claimants who have come forward and not run away from this issue. Furthermore, in order to prevent a recurrence, we must see through the management reform which we have begun, and the drastic improvement of the mindset at the company.
Sincerely accepting various tough opinions and having discussions with the talents who belong to the company on what they want to do now and in the future - that is my way of taking responsibility.
Once again, I offer my sincere apologies.
Julie K. Fujishima
Johnny & Associates, 14 May 2023
Sources:
1. Julie Fujishima's statement and Q&A, Johnny & Associates webpage
2. Major Japanese talent agency apologizes over sexual assault claims. The Japan Times
3. Johnny Kitagawa: Power, Abuse, and the Japanese Media Omerta. Variety
Julie Fujishima, president of Johnny & Associates, has issued a public video apology regarding the issue of sexual abuse allegations against agency founder Johnny Kitagawa. The apology comes a month after Kauan Okamoto, a Japanese Brazilian singer and songwriter, claimed that Kitagawa sexually abused him as a teen.
Click to viewI have translated the video message from Julie, as well as the written Q&A posted on the Johnny & Associates webpage, where Julie answered the questions posed by various parties.
Julie's video message:
This is Fujishima Julie, president of Johnny & Associates.
We sincerely apologize for the public uproar caused by the claims of sexual assault committed by our founder, Johnny Kitagawa.
Firstly, we are deeply sorry to those that have claimed to be victims. We are also deeply sorry for causing a great amount of disappointment and uncertainty for our stakeholders and fans.
Although it is very late, we will be providing a written response to the questions that we have received from various parties.
Q&A with President Julie Fujishima
Q: Why wasn’t a press conference held right away?
Firstly, we felt that we had to establish the facts and deal with this matter responsibly. Since this is an extremely delicate and sensitive matter which concerns the privacy of individuals, we had to engage the support of counsellors, lawyers and such while meeting with the parties who have come forward. As we also carried out internal investigations, conferred on specific countermeasures and proceeded carefully with this matter, it unfortunately took some time before we were able to widely convey our message to everyone. We apologize for the late response.
Q: What was your response to the BBC documentary and Kauan Okamoto-san’s allegations?
If the claims were true, we firstly had to think about how to face those who have come forward as victims; it was a grave problem which would even question the continued existence of our agency. I thought that we needed to thoroughly establish the facts and respond with utmost sincerity.
Q: Were the BBC documentary and Kauan Okamoto-san’s claims true?
Naturally, I definitely do not think that problems do not exist. Moreover, from my personal and the company’s standpoint, we absolutely do not tolerate such acts.
On the other hand, as we are unable to establish the facts with Johnny Kitagawa, who is the party concerned, it is difficult for us to fully acknowledge or deny the respective claims as fact, and we had to carefully consider any secondary harm (to the victims), such as slander arising from speculation. Therefore, we seek your understanding in this matter.
That being said, we take it very seriously that there are people who are said to have been harmed right before our eyes.
Q: Did you or anyone at Johnny & Associates know about the sexual abuse committed by Johnny Kitagawa?
While I think that this is an issue that certainly cannot be resolved by saying that we were unaware, we did not know about it. I think it is necessary to explain this in the context of how decision-making and operations were carried out in Johnny & Associates back then.
I was a company executive[1] when Shukan Bunshun reported on this issue in 1999. However, for a long time, all the decision-making was carried out by only two people: Johnny Kitagawa, who produced the talents, and Mary Kitagawa[2], who had full authority in managing the company’s operations. I am ashamed to say this, but beyond these two persons, no one in the company, including myself, was allowed to have any say in the company’s management and direction beyond our assigned roles. Furthermore, for things which occurred at sites beyond our scope and the corresponding instructions which were given, these were never shared with the entire company in the first place and there wasn’t anything resembling a board of directors meeting. It was common that only these two people knew of critical information which concerned the company’s operations, such as this matter.
Without having to look back, I think that the state of things wasn’t normal. However, this is simply how we have operated and grew since 1962, “Johnny and Mary = Johnny & Associates”, this is unfortunately what all employees accepted as being natural. Personally, I was unable to sense how abnormal this system was, for which I am deeply ashamed and filled with regret.
Translator’s notes:
[1] I couldn’t find information on when Julie was appointed as a company executive. When the Johnny’s Entertainment music company was established in 1997, Julie was appointed as its first president.
[2] Johnny Kitagawa and Mary Kitagawa were siblings, and Julie Fujishima is Mary’s daughter. Julie was appointed as President of Johnny & Associates when Johnny Kitagawa passed away in 2019.
Q: When the Tokyo High Court ruled in Shukan Bunshun’s favor in 2003[3], did (the company) not acknowledge the sexual abuse even then? Also, were countermeasures not taken?
The defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny & Associates against Bungeishunju Ltd[4] was a response of Mary’s indignation towards the “intolerable falsehoods” within Shukan Bunshun’s articles. However, the details of the case were not shared with me at all, and I am embarrassed to say that I was unable to grasp the details until this incident occurred and I checked the story with the legal counsel who was in charge of the court case at that time.
This is purely my conjecture, but I think that with regard to Johnny’s questionable actions, Mary genuinely thought, “He couldn’t have done it. It’s impossible.” I think that explains why the civil case against (Bungeishunju Ltd) was initiated.
Eventually, we partially lost the case and it was concluded that Shukan Bunshun’s article did not amount to defamation; however, according to the legal counsel who handled the case at that time and interviews of the company executives involved, Johnny himself strongly denied the abuse allegations, so Mary and the legal counsel issued a stern warning to Johnny, telling him to “Stop doing things that would be misunderstood,” and it was limited to that. Either way, I had failed to proactively do my duty as a company director, which is a grave error on my part.
Translator’s notes:
[3] In 1999, the tabloid Shukan Bunshun published a series of articles that described sexual abuse of ten teenaged male talents. A Parliamentary hearing examined the claims, but Kitagawa denied everything and sued the magazine. In 2002 a court handed down a judgment in Kitagawa’s favor, levying $81,500 in damages. Shukan Bunshun appealed and in 2003 the Tokyo High Court ruled that the sexual abuse charges had validity, based on court testimony by two former Johnny’s talents, but not claims that the agency had supplied alcohol and tobacco to minors. (Schilling, M. (2019, July 18) Johnny Kitagawa: Power, Abuse, and the Japanese Media Omerta. Variety.)
[4] Bungeishunju Ltd is Shukan Bunshun’s publisher.
Q: What countermeasures are being taken to ensure this doesn’t happen again?
As we work out the steps to prevent such things from recurring, we have engaged lawyers and experts from various fields, and received guidance and opinions on the company’s issues and areas for improvement. As a basic premise, since I was appointed as the company’s representative, we have not relied on the notion that the entertainment industry is unique and have strengthened our compliance with measures such as:- Creating an anonymous hotline for (talents) who require support
- Carrying out briefings for minors who are accompanied by their parents/guardians
- Carrying out compliance education
- Involving parent/guardian participation from their homes
However, after this incident, in order to ensure something like this never happens again, we have established a Compliance Committee with the help of external parties and will strengthen our efforts, more so than ever before.
Furthermore, we will be drastically reviewing our management structure by welcoming an outside director[5], who will stringently assess (the organization), such as concerns about the way the company is and our corporate social responsibility, whether we have carried out our internal and external communications appropriately, and whether we are making decisions based only on the company’s values and practices. We are currently searching for the candidate and making offers. Once the new outside director has been confirmed, we will announce it accordingly.
Translator’s notes:
[5] Outside directors bring external experience and perspective to the company’s board. They keep a watchful eye on the inside directors and on the way the organization is run, and provide guidance on risk management and good corporate governance practices. They are typically not an employee or stakeholder in the company.
Q: Why wasn’t a third party committee established to thoroughly investigate this issue?
From the beginning, we were of the opinion that this issue shouldn’t be resolved solely within the company; together with the lawyers, external experts and professionals, we considered a thorough inquiry with the establishment of a third party committee. However, during an internal investigation, it was highly probable that parties who did not wish to be interviewed would be subject to the investigation, and the external experts also warned that the interviews might place psychological burdens on the interviewees and it must be handled with utmost care. We therefore chose a different approach to this problem.
For the parties who have already come forward with claims, or parties that may choose to come forward in the future, we will be setting up an external consultation service in May 2023 under the advice of external counselors, lawyers and doctors. In order to ensure the anonymity of the people seeking advice and to provide an objective listening ear, we intend to engage the help of an external specialist.
Q: Did you meet with Kauan Okamoto? If you did meet him, why did you do so?
I have met with him. I sat down with him directly and we spoke at length.[6] Something like this must never happen again. I realized that it was the reason why he came forward.
On the other hand, I also conveyed my opinion about the problems concerning the privacy of others and any remarks that might fuel speculation about this issue. Although there is still much to be done, he has provided the opportunity for us to change.
Translator’s notes:
[6] In this YouTube video, Okamoto said that he spoke to Julie for about 2 hours, during which she offered an apology. (Benoza, K. and Takahara, K. (2023, May 15) Major Japanese talent agency apologizes over sexual assault claims. The Japan Times.)
Q: How do you intend to respond to the people who have come forward with abuse claims?
We are currently working out the details, given the delicate nature of this topic. However, for those who have claimed to be victims or are suffering psychologically, we wish to respond to them sincerely with the help of counsellors and specialists. If we do not do that, there is no future for us.
Q: What do you think of your responsibility as management? Should you be responsible for this, how will you take responsibility for this issue?
I do feel that I have to be responsible for this. At that time, although I was a board member in name, I was unable to fulfill my duty. I feel that I also need to be accountable for not proactively learning about this issue or pursuing it. I have considered resigning as a way of taking responsibility. However, what needs to be done now is to face the claimants who have come forward and not run away from this issue. Furthermore, in order to prevent a recurrence, we must see through the management reform which we have begun, and the drastic improvement of the mindset at the company.
Sincerely accepting various tough opinions and having discussions with the talents who belong to the company on what they want to do now and in the future - that is my way of taking responsibility.
Once again, I offer my sincere apologies.
Julie K. Fujishima
Johnny & Associates, 14 May 2023
Sources:
1. Julie Fujishima's statement and Q&A, Johnny & Associates webpage
2. Major Japanese talent agency apologizes over sexual assault claims. The Japan Times
3. Johnny Kitagawa: Power, Abuse, and the Japanese Media Omerta. Variety