Pressure builds on Johnny Kitagawa’s J-pop agency to address abuse claims

Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019, was a powerful figure in Japan’s media and entertainment industry. Photograph: Avalon.red

Pressure is building on one of Japan’s most powerful talent agencies to address allegations of sexual abuse by its founder, Johnny Kitagawa, as survivors and celebrities call for a public reckoning.

Kitagawa, who died in 2019 aged 87, has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple boys, but it is claimed he evaded justice because his victims knew that speaking out would ruin their careers.