Former Johnny’s Member Accuses Late Pop Mogul Kitagawa of Sexual Assault

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, April 14, 2023

A former member of the all-male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. has alleged he was sexually assaulted by the late president of the company Johnny Kitagawa several times in his teens.

Singer Kauan Okamoto, 26, revealed the accusations in a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Wednesday.

Okamoto said the mogul sexually assaulted him 15 to 20 times between 2012 and 2016, when he was signed to the talent agency.

Kitagawa died in 2019.

Okamoto said he still feels gratitude toward Kitagawa, but he thinks it was wrong that the mogul had sexual activities with him when he was as young as 15 years old.

Johnny & Associates released a statement following Okamoto’s press conference, claiming that since 2019 the company has prioritized “the development of a highly transparent organizational structure and system that can be trusted by society.”

The company said it will ensure strict legal compliance and strengthen organizational governance.