How Kauan Okamoto Worked at a Convenience Store After Singing at the Tokyo Dome

“Oh, it’s me, Johnny.”

A young boy sleeping at home in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, suddenly received a call on his cell phone from an unknown number. At the time, he was in the third year of junior high school. It was a Sunday morning in February 2012.

 

Following up on our October 23rd report [ Part 1: The True Meaning of the Tattoo on My Shoulder ], we would like to introduce the life of Kauan Okamoto, 27, who has revealed the dark side of a major entertainment company by accusing the late Mr. Johnny Kitagawa of sexual assault. At the beginning of the article, it was Mr. Johnny himself who personally called Kauan’s cell phone. When the young Kauan boy asked, “What, Johnny who?”, he replied

“I’m in the Guinness Book of World Records. Have you ever seen the Guinness Book of World Records? Come to the live performance of “Sexy Zone” at the International Forum today.”

“The International Forum is in Tokyo, right? I think you should come today.”

“I’ll be there!

“I’ll be there!” “That’s the same Okamoto!”

There is a foreshadowing to the “direct call” from Mr. Johnny. Kauan, who had decided to become a singer in junior high school, sent his resume to several modeling agencies with the help of his mother. Through the Tokyo office where he registered, a DVD of Kauan singing Justin Bieber’s “Baby” happened to catch the attention of Mr. Johnny. The following is Kauan’s recollection.

 

“The manager of the modeling agency knew a friend of Kenichi Okamoto (a former member of Otokogumi) and gave me the DVD. When Okamoto-san took the DVD to Johnny’s office, Johnny-san happened to be there.”

“I think that Mr. Johnny-san saw the DVD, became interested in me, and called me directly. Johnny-san is usually at concert halls and other sites, and rarely shows up at the office. I was really lucky.” Okamoto-san said, “This guy has it all. He’s just like me.”

By coincidence, Kauan received a direct solicitation from Mr. Johnny. He hopped on a bullet train and arrived at the Tokyo International Forum just before Sekzo’s second show.

“The security guard let me through and I went inside, and there was Mr. Johnny, about 160 cm tall, wearing a cap. His aura is overwhelming. His first words were, ‘You’re late.’ He sang the same song as on the DVD, “Baby,” and then asked me, “Do you want to be the MC for the time being?” I was so surprised.”

“I felt that the story of how I was going to become a singer had begun with that phone call from Mr. Johnny, and I was determined to do it. I didn’t know much about Johnny’s, but I was introduced to the members of Sekzo and sang “Baby” acapella in front of a crowd of 5,000 people. The fans must have wondered who I was.”