Japan entertainment company launches probe into sexual abuse allegations against founder

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A major Japanese talent agency has begun an investigation into sexual abuse allegations against its founder. The lawyer heading the probe, Makoto Hayashi, told reporters Monday it won’t address monetary or criminality questions but rather aims to prevent such abuse from happening again. Hayashi said the effort will focus on hearing from victims who have come forward and outline where the response at Johnny & Associates failed. Allegations against Johnny Kitagawa, a powerful figure in Japanese entertainment, have been tossed around for decades but he was never charged with any crime. He died in 2019. Dozens of children, perhaps hundreds, may have been assaulted while working at Johnny’s.