The Johnny’s sex abuse scandal and the role of media in Japan

Igor Prusa

Contemporary Japan, 2024, vol. 36, issue 1, 126-144

Abstract: The aim of this commentary is to shed some light on the sex abuse scandal of Johnny Kitagawa and his talent agency Johnny & Associates (hereafter “Johnny’s”). First, it looks at the role of the Japanese media during the scandal development. Here, the difference will be made between the “outside-media” (weeklies, foreign press) that were the first to expose the Johnny’s scandal, and the “inside-media” (dailies, TV broadcast) that were persistently ignoring the scandal. Largely owing to this, Kitagawa was able to sidestep allegations of abuse for decades. Next, the commentary touches upon the institutional power of the Johnny’s agency within the network of Japanese power circles. Importantly, this power-network becomes decisive in soft-pedaling the scandal, or fueling the hype. Further, it looks at the nature of structural exploitation at Johnny’s and the issue of whistleblowing in Japan. One section is dedicated to the issue of sexual abuse in Japan and the West. Next, the commentary offers a performance analysis of the Johnny’s press conference and points to the ritualized quality of televised confessions. Finally, it touches upon the issue of scandal consequences and offers two viewpoints on the aftermath of the Johnny’s scandal: optimistic (i.e. the scandal will change things for the better) and pessimistic (i.e. the scandal will not be much transformative).

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1080/18692729.2023.2290369

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