A number of major Japanese companies have decided to stop working with celebrities represented by Johnny & Associates as the talent agency addresses decades of sexual abuse perpetuated by its late founder. Driving the news: Julie Keiko Fujishima, 57, recently stepped down from her post as company president and expressed regret for the actions of her late uncle, Johnny Kitagawa, who had been accused of sexually assaulting young boys for decades. Prior to her resignation, a third-party panel appointed by the company itself concluded that Kitagawa had abused hundreds of talents as far back as the 1950s.
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In a move previously considered unheard-of, a growing number of advertisers are severing ties with Johnny & Associates Inc., the entertainment agency that finally acknowledged its founder had sexually abused boys for decades.
Several Japanese companies have decided to stop using stars who are represented by Johnny & Associates, an entertainment company at the center of a sexual assault scandal
Several major Japanese companies have decided to stop using stars who are represented by Johnny & Associates, an entertainment company at the center of a sexual assault scandal. Beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings — known for its Super Dry beer — will no longer air its ads featuring Junichi Okada, Toma Ikuta and Sho Sakurai, the company said Tuesday, and there are no plans to sign singers, dancers or actors affiliated with Johnny’s. Other companies, including Japan’s flagship carrier Japan Airlines and major insurer Nippon Life Insurance Co., are following suit in distancing themselves from the scandal.