Maintaining Structure of Power

Requested from business sectors and broadcasters, Johnny & Associates on Monday announced that the company, changing its name to “SMILE-UP.”, would be disbanded after it finishes its effort to compensate for the victims of sexual abuse by its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa. Meanwhile, the Johnny & Associates will establish a new company for promoting talents, which president will be current Johnny’s president, Noriyuki Higashiyama. In short, Johnny’s will be maintaining its business. The fundamental question has not only been child abuses but the business putting talents under strong control of managers. Will that structure be changed? 

In the press conference on Monday, Higashiyama explained that the company would change its name to erase all the footsteps of Kitagawa, and be disbanded after the compensation is finished. Former president Julie Fujishima, a niece of Kitagawa and absent from the press conference, will remain on the board as the 100% shareholder. She argued that it would be needed to compensate to the victims beyond the law. It is unclear what the “unlawful” compensation is. 325 of the victims have requested the compensation as of September 30th.

 

New company, expected to start its business within this month, will collect the idea for its name from the public, mainly from the fans of Johnny’s talents. In the previous press conference in September 7th, Higashiyama said that name of “Johnny’s” can be maintained as “an expression of energy or pride of the talents.” Those words were overturned within a month. It looks like a business decision, receiving pressure from the sponsors demanding obvious reform of the company.

 

“Johnny’s” has been a symbol of power. Kitagawa exercised strong influence to media outlets which hoped to use Johnny’s talents in their programs. Corporations used Johnny’s talents in their TV commercials. Kitagawa ruled the business depending on Johnny’s talents. That is because Kitagawa could rule his talents. The greatest problem existed in that power structure. As long as the structure remains, next victim of the superior power will appear.

 

Excluding founder’s family does not guarantee elimination of abuse. A lot of abuses or harassments have been reported from former Johnny’s talents. Even Higashiyama has problems in the past in treating younger talents with inappropriate manner. Asking the naming of new company indicates the company’s intention to keep the fans, which are its greatest resource in its business.

 

Even after the scandal was revealed, Johnny’s talents appear on TV screen every day. Fans are feeling a pity for Johnny’s talents they adore. But United Nations human rights experts probe the sexual abuse of Johnny’s. The question is whether the economy and culture in Japan will still be dependent on a business sacrificing human rights, or get rid of it.

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