Inohara questioned on death of “Association of Parties” member: “We must fight”; former Johnny’s: “People who tell falsehoods” remark.

A man in his 40s who belonged to the “Association of Parties Concerned with Johnny’s Sexual Assault,” organized by former members of the group, has been found dead in Osaka Prefecture, claiming that he was sexually assaulted by Johnny Kitagawa.

The death was confirmed in mid-October when he was found hanging in a mountain in Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture. A note that appeared to be a suicide note was found nearby, so it is believed to be a suicide.

The man wrote on SNS and other social networking sites

“He probably just wants money.
“You’re a liar.
“You didn’t make your debut.

He was slandered on SNS and other social networking sites.

In response, former Johnny’s Jr. and singer Cowan Okamoto updated his X (formerly Twitter) page.

Please everyone, speak carefully and with love, and may he rest in peace.

I pray that you will all speak with discretion and love.

In May of this year, Mr. Cowan wrote: “I am sorry to hear that someone has turned his life down, including mine, over this matter,

I am most afraid that someone will take their life, including mine, because of this. I don’t want to lie to myself anymore and I don’t want to hate anyone. Gratitude will never go away.

Please give priority to the mental care of the victims and the talents and human beings who still belong to Johnny’s office. To do so, I need to give each and every one of you a place to be mindful.

He expressed his sense of crisis.

Mr. Cowan was a pioneer in the field, appearing on Mr. Gershie’s YouTube page and accusing Mr. Janney of sexual assault before the BBC reported the story. He has kept his distance from the “association of those involved,” perhaps because of differences of opinion, but he was concerned that the victims might be hurt by slander and other such slander.

Of course, Mr. Cowan has received a considerable amount of criticism and slander from Johnny’s fans, and there have been times when false rumors have been spread. The worst has happened. Since the contents of the suicide note have been confirmed and released by the investigators, there is no doubt that slander was the cause of his suicide.”

While there is a majority of the public that does not forgive sexual assault, there are also fans who want to protect the current former Johnny’s talents, and it is clear that a division has developed between them.

The former Johnny’s office also said at press conferences and other events

“Stop slandering the victims.

The former Johnny’s office also strongly urged the fans to “stop slandering the victims” at their press conferences.

On the other hand, some believe that the former Johnny’s side may have “misled” the fans.

On October 7, after the second press conference on October 2, Inohara wrote on his member’s blog, “This is no time to be weak, I have to fight what I don’t like, what is different, and what is right. If this is written on a blog that is read only by fans, it is no wonder that enthusiastic fans feel that they have been pushed back.

Furthermore, on the 10th, the company also released a statement saying, 《There are several cases where people who are most likely not victims are being told false stories using the testimonies of the real victims》. I feel that the slander escalated quickly, with fans not knowing who the real victims were and whether they were imposters or not,” said a person involved in a wide-ranging TV show.

Naturally, we should not tolerate people who make false statements for money, but on the other hand, the former Johnny’s announced that they would compensate the victims “beyond the law” without going to court. On the other hand, the former Johnny’s announced that they would compensate “beyond the law” without a trial, which could be misunderstood as saying that they would not pursue whether it was true or not.

It is undeniable that this ambiguous delineation of the line has given rise to slander and slander, and may have caused further suffering to the victims.

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