The Hidden Father Behind Johnny’s Collapse: His Identity and Background

The Question of a Lack of Fatherhood

Last May, Julie Keiko Fujishima, president of the former Johnny’s Office, suddenly released an apology video.

I compared the shock of this to the “Declaration of Humanity” made by Emperor Showa. Following my comparison, the writer Genichiro Takahashi likened it to the “Jewel Voice Broadcast” that announced Japan’s defeat in World War II.

In any case, the Johnny’s family had been perceived as an untouchable presence, akin to the pre-war Imperial family. This was true of both the founding siblings, Johnny and Mary Kitagawa, as well as their successor, Julie Keiko Fujishima, who had remained a mystery to us, with their voices and appearances virtually unknown.

This led me to a realization.

There were three women—Mary Kitagawa, her daughter Julie Keiko, and SMAP’s skillful manager Michi Iijima.

Johnny Kitagawa, meanwhile, remained single his entire life and never had children. After his death, he was accused of committing sexual abuses against young boys as a homosexual.

In other words, three women and one gay man, there was no father figure here. Although Johnny’s Office had a maternal presence, it lacked a definitive paternal presence.

Or does it?

Julie Keiko Fujishima, Mary’s daughter and Johnny’s niece, became the successor.

Then, what about the surname “Fujishima”?

Mary’s husband—

Taisuke Fujishima.

Yes, Julie Keiko’s father.

This means that Taisuke Fujishima was, in fact, Johnny’s hidden father!

Since last year, as the Johnny’s controversy shook Japan, there has been no mention of Taisuke Fujishima. Amid the extensive media coverage, this omission seems oddly strange.

Could this missing piece of the puzzle—the complex mystery of Johnny’s issue—be this very fact?

Now, we must uncover the identity of this hidden father.

Connection with the Emperor Emeritus

Taisuke Fujishima was born in 1933 (Showa 8) in Tokyo. He was the eldest son of Toshiro Fujishima, a supervisor at the Bank of Japan. After graduating from university, he joined the Tokyo Shimbun and became a reporter in the social affairs department.

It is interesting to note that the senior colleague of Iso Ko Mochizuki, a reporter from Tokyo Shimbun’s social affairs department who caused controversy with her “Eat my sausage” comment directed at Noriyuki Higashiyama during a Johnny’s press conference last year, was none other than Julie Keiko Fujishima’s father.

Fujishima, in his second year at the company (1956), published a novel as a rookie reporter.

The title was “The Lonely Man.”

When you open the door to the story.

“With heartfelt respect and friendship,  

I dedicate this book to my classmate,  

His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince.”

What a surprise! Fujishima attended Gakushuin from elementary school through university. He was a classmate of the then Crown Prince, who later became the Emperor and now the Emperor Emeritus, from his childhood. 

Even the Emperor Emeritus must watch TV. Last year, videos of Julie Keiko Fujishima’s apology and the press conference were frequently broadcast on news programs. When he saw these, the Emperor Emeritus must have thought, “Ah, that’s the daughter of my classmate, Fujishima.” It is truly a deeply moving thought.

“The Lonely Man” is a coming-of-age story set at Gakushuin High School, where the young Crown Prince also makes an appearance. In other words, it was a novel based on real-life figures.

The catchy subject matter caused a sensation, with weekly magazines featuring large special reports and the story even being discussed in the Japanese Diet. It quickly became a bestseller.

The following year (1957), it was adapted into a movie directed by Katsumi Nishikawa. Young actors such as Masahiko Tsugawa and Akira Kobayashi played the roles of Gakushuin high school students, and the film caused quite a stir.

Fujishima was in the same year as Shintaro Ishihara, who had won the Akutagawa Prize the year before with his novel “The Season of the Sun”. This novel was also adapted into a film, sparking the “Sun Tribe” (Taiyo-zoku) cultural phenomenon. Fujishima and Ishihara became friends. Later, Ishihara wrote the lyrics for the song “Flame Curve” for the first-generation Johnny’s group. When Ishihara entered politics in 1968, Fujishima became his election strategist. Both were conservative (members of the Liberal Democratic Party) and became known as hawkish intellectuals with strong right-wing views.

An unexpected place of encounter.

There is an article from the women’s weekly magazine “Bisho” published on September 22, 1974.

The headline reads: 

“Emergency Interview: Direct Visit to Taisuke Fujishima, the Writer Who Married the Guardian of Hiromi Go!”

It states that the guardian of Hiromi Go is Mary Kitagawa (41 years old)

Around 1960, Mary opened a late-night snack bar called “Spot” in Yotsuya. It is said that she met Fujishima, who is the same age as her, there.

(However, the mentions of 41 years old and the same age in this article are incorrect; the correct details are 47 years old and six years younger. It seems Mary was misrepresenting her age by six years.)

Their daughter, Keiko, was born in July 1966. The issue here is that, at that time, Fujishima had another wife (who was actually the granddaughter of the literary giant Takahama Kyoshi!).

In other words, Keiko was born as a child out of wedlock, essentially the child of an affair. Mary kept the existence of her daughter a secret from those around her, and thus she was considered a hidden child.

According to the previous article, Fujishima divorced his first wife in 1972 and began living with Mary and their daughter Keiko in 1973. This was a case of a marriage taken following an affair.

However, in the same article, Fujishima reveals, “Even though it is called a remarriage, we haven’t registered our marriage yet.” At that time, Keiko was eight years old (the previous year, at six, she made her entertainment industry debut under the name “Fujishima Julie” by appearing in the Four Leaves musical “Look Up at the Stars”).

The Connection with Yukio Mishima

Taisuke Fujishima had already resigned as a journalist and had become a successful author. He had deep connections with the political and financial sectors. In the 1977 House of Councillors election, he ran as an official candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party in a nationwide district (but lost).

Johnny’s office, which was under Watanabe Productions, became independent and incorporated in 1975. Was there no pressure from Watanabe Productions, which was called the “Nabe Pro Empire” (by Rō Takenaka) at the time?

The first president of the industry pressure group, the Music Industry Association, established under the strong support of Watanabe Productions’ president, Shin Watanabe, was Yasuhiro Nakasone from the Liberal Democratic Party. Fujishima was Nakasone’s brain (consultant). Johnny’s office is not a member of the Music Industry Association. Could it be that the ability to avoid industry pressure after gaining independence from Watanabe Productions was due to the behind-the-scenes power game between the first president of the Music Industry Association, Yasuhiro Nakasone, and Taisuke Fujishima?

Additionally, there are claims that Fujishima provided significant financial support to the still-small Johnny’s office.

However, despite his extensive body of work, I cannot find any writings that detail the circumstances or connections with Johnny’s.

This is why Taisuke Fujishima is referred to as the hidden father of Johnny’s.

Fujishima’s breakout work, the novel “Kodoku no Hito” (The Lonely Man), features a small circle of boys embroiled in homosexuality, reminiscent of later Johnny’s. Homosexuality and the Emperor. There was a writer who focused on this theme. That person, who was a senior of Fujishima at Gakushuin University, wrote the preface to “Kodoku no Hito.”

— It was Yukio Mishima.

In the next article, “The Unknown Connection between SMAP and the ‘Hidden Father’ Who Built Johnny’s Kingdom,” we will discuss the surprising connection between Taisuke Fujishima and SMAP.