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TOKYO — When Johnny Kitagawa instructed one of many boys staying at his luxurious home to go to mattress early, everybody knew “it was your flip.”
That was among the many recollections shared Wednesday by musician Kauan Okamoto, then 15, about allegedly being sexually assaulted by Kitagawa, a robust determine within the Japanese leisure world. The Related Press doesn’t normally establish victims of alleged sexual assault, however Okamoto has chosen to establish himself within the media.
Okamoto was a part of the backup boys’ group Johnny’s Jr., which additionally labored as a expertise pool for Johnny & Associates, a expertise company managing male idol actors and singers.
He remembered the sound of Kitagawa’s slippers pitter-pattering down the hallway. He turned over in mattress, feigning sleep. Generally Kitagawa handed him a ten,000-yen ($100) invoice the morning after when nobody was wanting, like within the elevator, in response to Okamoto.
That continued for 4 years, beginning in 2012 and lasting till Okamoto left Johnny & Associates.
Okamoto’s encounters with Kitagawa began when he had a modeling company ship a video of him singing Justin Bieber’s “Child” to a supervisor at Kitagawa’s workplace. He bought invited to a live performance in Tokyo, after which to Kitagawa’s house.
“I hope everybody will come ahead as a result of it’s an outrageous variety of victims,” he instructed reporters on the International Correspondents Membership of Tokyo.
Okamoto, 26, estimated dozens of individuals had been chosen by Kitagawa as his “favorites” — those he noticed as proficient — to come back keep at his house the place the alleged abuse occurred. The scandal surfaced after a BBC documentary “Predator,” wherein a number of victims got here ahead, aired worldwide in March.
Kitagawa died in 2019 and was by no means charged.
Shukan Bunshun, a Japanese information journal, first reported the scandal in 1999. Over time, the response from a lot of mainstream Japanese society has been muted. Johnny’s, which nonetheless exists as an organization, is behind a few of Japan’s largest stars, together with SMAP, KinKi Youngsters and Arashi.
Okamoto stated he had not thought-about authorized motion. He simply hoped his story will get acknowledged.
“These are details. As a substitute of denying these details, I hope folks will respect and assist us,” he instructed reporters.
The International Correspondents Membership invited Johnny’s to come back communicate and handle the allegations however obtained no response. Johnny’s additionally didn’t reply to a request by The Related Press for remark.
Being preferred by Kitagawa was a should if one hoped to achieve Japanese leisure, and lots of younger performers wished to be invited to his penthouse within the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Okamoto stated.
Okamoto stated he owed lots to Kitagawa, whom he referred to as “Johnny-san,” at all times including the honorific. Like most of the different victims, he didn’t inform his mother and father, nor blatantly reject Kitagawa.
“We had been children. We simply laughed about it,” stated Okamoto.
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama