BBC “Accusation of Sexual Assault by Janie Kitagawa,” but TV and Newspaper “Big Media” are “Dismissing” the Accusation with Discovery

The entertainment world was shocked.

The documentary program “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop,” produced by the British public broadcasting company BBC Two, was broadcast on March 7 at 21:00 local time.

The program harshly described the founder of Johnny’s, Mr. Kitagawa (87 years old), who passed away in July 2007, as a “predator. The program delves into the sexual abuse of young boys that he is said to have perpetrated during his lifetime.

The program uses a 1999 Shukan Bunshun report on Janney’s sexual assaults as a starting point, interviewing former boys who were actually victims of such assaults.

Some of them testified that Mr. Janney touched them on their lower abdomen as a massage and more. There were also scenes where they were at a loss for words during the interview.

The BBC is the British public broadcaster, similar to NHK in Japan. Such an influential broadcaster broadcast the “shameful part” of the Japanese entertainment industry in prime time.

Even under such circumstances, only some weekly magazines such as Bunshun reported on the BBC broadcast. The media, including television and newspapers, have been completely silent on the matter.

Naturally, the BBC’s broadcast was of interest to those in the media. However, since a large number of Johnny’s talents are involved in the drama and variety shows, the TV stations are not allowed to handle the program.

Therefore, we did not even inquire with Johnny’s side, nor were we told by them not to report it. It is probably the same with sports newspapers, with whom we have a close relationship through our daily coverage of concerts, etc., but they have made their own discovery and decided not to handle the issue.

When Shukan Bunshun reported on Johnny’s sexual assaults in the past, the Johnny’s office sued for defamation. Mr. Janney and the victim boy appeared in court to testify, and the Tokyo High Court found sexual abuse. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal, and the decision was finalized in ’04.

At the end of the program, a BBC reporter said

I contacted the police, media, and TV stations for this report, but they all refused to cover the story. Kitagawa is protected even in death.

The reporter criticized the “big media” for turning a blind eye to this fact. The media’s discovery of a single entertainment agency is sure to be seen as bizarre by foreign observers.