Johnny & Associates founder Kitagawa sexually assaulted hundreds of teens, investigation finds
By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) — A team investigating sexual assault allegations against the late founder of a talent agency for boy bands says it has found the charges credible and is calling for financial compensation for the victims. The investigation concluded Johnny Kitagawa sexually assaulted teen boys as far back as the 1950s, with at least several hundred people targeted. About a dozen men have come forward in recent months, alleging sexual abuse by the founder of Johnny & Associates. Kitagawa died in 2019 and was never charged. The special investigative team said the company’s current chief executive, Julie Keiko Fujishima, should resign.