Time span of over 40 years, Japanese media: investigation confirms that Yoshikawa has been sexually assaulting artists for a long time
According to reports from Japanese media, in response to the sexual assault on artists by the late former president of the well-known Japanese artist agency Johnny's Law Firm, a "Special Group to Prevent Recurrence" composed of external experts announced on the 29th local time that it has been determined that there has been a long-term and repeated sexual assault on multiple "Johnny's Jr." artists by Kodokawa.
According to reports, the special team submitted an investigation report to Johnny's Law Firm on the same day, determining that Yoshikawa repeatedly sexually assaulted a male artist named "Johnny Jr." at the firm from the first half of the 1970s to around 2015. According to reports, multiple testimonies received by the special team indicate that there were at least hundreds of victims.
One of the members of the special group, psychiatrist Kazuo Inoue, introduced, "I inquired in detail about the situation to a certain extent and believed it to be authentic."
According to reports, "Johnny Jr." artists are mostly minors who are striving to make their debut by releasing CDs. The investigation report also stated that Mary Taeko Fujishima, the sister of Yoshikawa and former honorary president of the agency, was aware of the fact of sexual assault but "has been trying to completely conceal it", and criticized the agency for "turning a blind eye" to it and not taking action, which "led to the expansion of the harm", resulting in numerous victims.
In order to prevent similar issues from happening again, the report points out that Johnny's should acknowledge the fact of sexual assault by Kadokawa in the name of the company and sincerely apologize to the victims. In addition, it should quickly engage in dialogue with the victims and take remedial measures, establish a victim assistance system immediately, in order to provide appropriate compensation to the victims and heal their wounds.
In addition, the special group stated that in order to prevent the drawbacks of family business, it is recommended that Julie Kageko Fujishima, the niece of Kadokawa, resign from her position as president.
Lin Zhenqin, the chairman of the special group holding a press conference in Tokyo, expressed the hope that the agency will implement all the suggestions. "If there is no apology or compensation, it will be difficult to revive in the future."
On the 29th, Johnny&Associates stated that they will sincerely accept the suggestions and press conference content, and commented that they will "sincerely explain the measures" through press conferences in the future.
According to previous reports, Yoshikawa was born in Los Angeles, USA in 1931 and founded Johnny&Associates in 1962. Over the next few decades, the company trained many male idols and groups such as "Lan". He passed away due to illness in 2019.