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▼ Johnny's To Change Name To SMILE-UP.; Create New Firm To Manage Performers
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Scandal-hit male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc said Monday it will change its name and establish a new firm to manage its performers in a bid to distance itself from late namesake founder Johnny Kitagawa, as it attempts to repair the reputational damage caused by decades of his sexual abuse.
Johnny's will be renamed "SMILE-UP." from Oct 17 and will oversee the provision of redress to the victims of Kitagawa's sexual abuse, the agency's president Noriyuki Higashiyama said at a press conference.
The 57-year-old veteran performer, who will remain as president of the renamed firm, said a committee established to oversee the redress has so far received consultations from 478 sex abuse victims, with 325 of them seeking compensation.
The renamed firm will close down once it has completed providing compensation to victims, which is set to start in November.
All group companies and acts featuring a reference to the name "Johnny's" will also undergo a name change, Higashiyama said.
The new talent management firm will also be headed by Higashiyama, with Yoshihiko Inohara, president of the agency's subsidiary Johnnys' Island, to serve as vice president. Johnny's will ask its fans to come up with the name for the new agency.
Prior to the press conference, the agency disclosed on its website a human rights policy that promised to ensure the protection of minors and the appointment of lawyer Masayuki Yamada as chief compliance officer.
Other preventative measures include the establishment of a new department responsible for internal audits on Sept 30, and plans to have external directors hold exclusive meetings among themselves.
The firm also pledged to hold board meetings once a month in principle and continue engaging with the media.
The measures, the outcome of discussions held by the board to decide on the future direction of the company, come after Kitagawa's niece Julie Keiko Fujishima acknowledged her uncle's sexual abuse and resigned as president last month.
Higashiyama took over as president following Fujishima's resignation, but the agency's decision to retain its name had drawn criticism from victims and companies using its performers for advertising campaigns.
Kitagawa was one of the Japanese entertainment industry's most powerful figures, propelling numerous groups such as SMAP and Arashi to stardom before his death in 2019.
After a BBC documentary aired in March featuring interviews with multiple people who claimed to have been sexually abused by the pop mogul, several former agency members came forward with additional accusations of abuse suffered during their teenage years.
Johnny's will be renamed "SMILE-UP." from Oct 17 and will oversee the provision of redress to the victims of Kitagawa's sexual abuse, the agency's president Noriyuki Higashiyama said at a press conference.
The 57-year-old veteran performer, who will remain as president of the renamed firm, said a committee established to oversee the redress has so far received consultations from 478 sex abuse victims, with 325 of them seeking compensation.
The renamed firm will close down once it has completed providing compensation to victims, which is set to start in November.
All group companies and acts featuring a reference to the name "Johnny's" will also undergo a name change, Higashiyama said.
The new talent management firm will also be headed by Higashiyama, with Yoshihiko Inohara, president of the agency's subsidiary Johnnys' Island, to serve as vice president. Johnny's will ask its fans to come up with the name for the new agency.
Prior to the press conference, the agency disclosed on its website a human rights policy that promised to ensure the protection of minors and the appointment of lawyer Masayuki Yamada as chief compliance officer.
Other preventative measures include the establishment of a new department responsible for internal audits on Sept 30, and plans to have external directors hold exclusive meetings among themselves.
The firm also pledged to hold board meetings once a month in principle and continue engaging with the media.
The measures, the outcome of discussions held by the board to decide on the future direction of the company, come after Kitagawa's niece Julie Keiko Fujishima acknowledged her uncle's sexual abuse and resigned as president last month.
Higashiyama took over as president following Fujishima's resignation, but the agency's decision to retain its name had drawn criticism from victims and companies using its performers for advertising campaigns.
Kitagawa was one of the Japanese entertainment industry's most powerful figures, propelling numerous groups such as SMAP and Arashi to stardom before his death in 2019.
After a BBC documentary aired in March featuring interviews with multiple people who claimed to have been sexually abused by the pop mogul, several former agency members came forward with additional accusations of abuse suffered during their teenage years.
- October 2, 2023
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