Former idol Kauan Okamoto confesses, “I was sexually abused by Johnny Kitagawa 15-20 times”
Amid Johnny Kitagawa’s sexual exploitation controversy, former Johnny Jr.’s member Kauan Okamoto confessed that he was a victim.
On April 13th, Kauan Okamato (26 years old), a former member of Johnny Jr.’s, held a press conference in Tokyo and revealed that he suffered sexual abuse from Johnny & Associates founder Johnny Kitagawa about 15 to 20 times during his activities with Johnny Jr.’s from 2012 to 2016.
During the press conference, Kauan Okamoto stated, “I was lying on the bed in the dorm then Johnny Kitagawa came and he sexually assaulted me. He also committed sexual crimes in places where there were few people, such as elevators” and added, “The next day, he gave me 10,000 yen (about 98,000 won).”
He continued, “I hope other victims will come forward and give their testimonies. I couldn’t take legal action because I owed Johnny Kitagawa many other things”, adding “At that time, young singers all wanted to be invited to his penthouse in order to succeed.”
Earlier on the 7th of last month, BBC News released a documentary titled “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop”.
This documentary dealt with the sexual exploitation allegations surrounding Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Japan’s largest entertainment agency Johnny & Associates that produced famous Japanese groups such as Arashi, SMAP, etc.
One former idol trainee claimed to have been sexually exploited by Johnny Kitagawa and said, “He came to my house, and I had to endure sexual abuse from him even when my parents were sleeping in the next room.”
Another former idol trainee revealed, “Johnny Kitagawa approached me and said, ‘Go take a bath’. He washed my entire body as if I were a doll, then forced me to have sexual intercourse with him.”
Johnny Kitagawa has been continuously surrounded by sexual exploitation allegations.
In October last year, former 7 Men Samurai member Koki Maeda said, “Some members of Johnny Jr.’s had sex with him because they wanted to debut”.
He continued, “I can’t say for sure whether these things are considered sexual harassment or not, but it is certain that Johnny Kitagawa did have sex with Johnny Jr.’s members.”
Johnny Kitagawa passed away in 2019 at the age of 87.
Source: Wikitree
