Former teen idol Kauan Okamoto has made a shocking revelation against the late Johnny Kitagawa, founder and president of Johnny & Associates, alleging that he was one of multiple boys who were sexually abused by Kitagawa. Okamoto disclosed the abuse during a press conference, stating that he was abused multiple times over a four-year period when he was 15 years old. He believes that almost all of the boys who stayed at Kitagawa’s home were victims, as 100 to 200 boys stayed on a rotational basis during his four years at the agency. Kitagawa gave Okamoto 10,000 yen without any explanation the day after the abuse. Okamoto has no plans to take legal action against the company, but hopes that his speaking out will encourage other victims to come forward.
Johnny Kitagawa passed away in 2019 at the age of 87. In response to the allegations, Johnny & Associates stated that they have developed a trustworthy and highly transparent organizational structure and systems that are in line with the times. They will continue to work towards compliance and strengthen their governance system with the cooperation of neutral experts. Kitagawa was responsible for launching and training some of Japan’s biggest male idols since the 60s, and his company remains one of Japan’s most powerful agencies. SMAP, Arashi, and Kinki Kids are among the agency’s biggest stars.
Serious allegations have been made against Kitagawa for decades. In 1999, Shukan Bunshun, a weekly magazine, published a series of articles revealing misconduct committed by Kitagawa based on interviews with the boys who were sexually abused by him. However, Kitagawa was never charged with a crime.
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