Head of J-pop talent agency resigns over sex abuse scandal

Outgoing president of Johnny and Associates Julie Keiko Fujishima cries as she speaks to the media during a press conference about allegations of sexual abuse by the group's late founder, at a hotel in Tokyo on Sept 7, 2023. Photo: AFP

The head of influential J-pop talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. stepped down after investigators said the family-held firm turned a blind eye to decades of sexual abuse by its late founder.

The resignation of Julie Keiko Fujishima, niece of founder Johnny Kitagawa, follows an investigation which found the music impresario abused "at least hundreds of victims” between the early 1970s and mid-2010s. The investigators’ report also said the agency’s management culture, with key decisions made by family members, allowed the misconduct to continue.