Johnny's abuse scandal giving fresh Japanese talent a chance to shine

South Korean equivalent, called K-pop, having a huge boom in worldwide popularity

Playing victim won't for winning those fans, fans love it because they really like it not because they fill pity for JPop start that become victim. World already goes to Kpop.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-trends/J-pop-goes-flat-as-Southeast-Asia-swoons-for-Korean-artists

Abuse Scandal ? Giving New Japanese Talent a Chance ? To Shine?

Very Brightly? Say that Again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SMILE UP? Can one smile DOWN? Or smile to the RIGHT? Or smile to the LEFT? Or Does Smile Up mean Smile INTO one's NOSE? I tried it ! But when I Smile Up, my face in the mirror looked angry!! Reader, just try it! Smile UP looking IN the mirror!!!

Japanese idol groups are a genre still unique in overseas markets

Because everything Japanese is sooooo unique. Blah, blah, blah.

If anything, Johnny's and the other "talent" agencies have been a nett drag on Japanese music, mainly satisfied with catering to a captive and manipulated domestic audience.

Dear Reader of Japan Today,

Just try to smile up looking in the mirror.

What do you see?

I tried it ! But when I Smile Up, my face in the mirror looked angry!! Reader, just try it! Smile UP looking IN the mirror!!!

I'm genuinely worried. Do you believe mirror reflections appear to be flipped vertically?

Up, down :( left or right :) I highly doubt the boys and men who were/ are victims here will ever be able to "smile" when it comes to this agency!

Better they shutter the place, sell off all the property, and pay it in compensation to the victims! :) :) :)

"Jonnys " is a toxic mark on Japan's pop "culture" {try not to laugh }

Bury it and start afresh....nothing good comes from a rotten fish

Many talent agencies have a similar Johnny & Associates business model

Allegedly, only the tip of the iceberg of sleaze and child exploration.  

AKB48: A Microcosm Of Dark Corporate Japan. Sexual exploitation of child labor is sooo cute

https://www.japansubculture.com/akb48-a-microcosm-of-dark-corporate-japan-child-labor-is-so-cute-book-review/

And now AKB 48, in case you didn’t know, is the brain child of Yasushi Akimoto, aka the King Midas of the Japanese entertainment industry. Everything he touches has turned to gold – unfortunately, the gold stays firmly tucked in his pocket without benefitting the girls he ruthlessly expolits. But there it is – the man certainly knows how to make a yen from peddling idoru fantasies to love-starved males with glasses and bad skin. 

Unless a full independent, given statutory powers to compel the industry to spill all its gross little secrets, the exploitation of minors, Then this whole sordid Johnny & Associates exposé is nothing more than charade.

I can't imagine anyone would want to do business with the very same people that never reported a PEDOPHILE to the authorities.

I see that the Japanese media are using the "Smile-Up" name with that silly extraneous period included, just like they did with Morning Musume and its 「。」. I hope they aren't expecting the English-language media to do that and make. sentences. barely. readable.

giving fresh Japanese talent a chance to shine

Let's hope it gives people with real talent a chance to shine, rather than "タレント" in the Japanese sense: that is, people with no discernible talent.

Whether the name Johnny's changes, or whether rival companies emerge, the whole manufactured pop/entertainment industry is rotten to the core all over the world: not just sexual abuse, but power harassment, overwork, poor pay etc. And having big agencies dictate who becomes famous means that people with real musical talent are often overlooked in favor of the usual cookie-cutter model types.

People should really think twice before they support these agencies (of all countries) with their time and money. They do nothing of good, and much that is bad.

Johnny's abuse scandal giving fresh Japanese talent a chance to shine

Changing the title of the article doesnt change the content! Just like SMILE UP!

Changing the title of the article doesnt change the content!

(Psst. This is a different article from yesterday's.)

people with real talent a chance to shine, rather than "タレント" in the Japanese sense: that is, people with no discernible talent

Don't put too much stock into the "talent" gairaigo. Those human screen fillers, well known only because they are well known and for nothing else, exist everywhere. You just don't see the overseas ones here because their vapid content is usually not exported to other countries (just as Japanese panel shows are not exported overseas).

The only difference here might be the sheer amount of "performing" people the Japanese TV formats require. Sometimes panels hold more members than the studio audience, and all of them have to attend throughout the whole show and pay attention because The Wipe may show their face at any time.

Those with ability, including former junior members of Johnny's

That's the problem. If they HAD any talent in the first place, they wouldn't have to had to rely on the Johnny's production factory. They would have made it on their own with real skills.

Now that the "famous by association" rub is gone from the talentless hacks known as individual Johnny's members, at least 90% of them will have to look for other ways of employment. Be it by turning tricks or playing host in clubs.

They knew going in, they had nothing else going for them, why else did they join and "take it" for all those years?

MONEY................

Hilarious they chose such a nonsense name for their “new” organization. It’s not even unique, it’s the same name as their YouTube campaign to farm ad revenue during the Covid crowd restrictions.

Speaking of “J-POP” being unique in the world. Even more silly given the Japanese music scene’s refusal to let people abroad access or discover the media people are engaging in. IlThe whole reason K-pop blew up is because they did what J-pop refused to do. YouTube, overseas sales, SUBTITLES, and more. Seeing the music scene here acting like it didn’t absolutely drop the ball during the anime/Japanese media boom of the 2000s is amazing

Speaking of “J-POP” being unique in the world. Even more silly given the Japanese music scene’s refusal to let people abroad access or discover the media people are engaging in. IlThe whole reason K-pop blew up is because they did what J-pop refused to do. YouTube, overseas sales, SUBTITLES, and more

Exactly! K-pop are more versatile when they see demand worldwide. They just keep pushing even more.

K-pop are more versatile when they see demand worldwide.

I must say, of all the hills to plant your anti-Japanese flag on, "K-Pop is so much better than J-Pop" is one of the weirdest.

@Roy

I must say, of all the hills to plant your anti-Japanese flag on, "K-Pop is so much better than J-Pop" is one of the weirdest.

I only criticizing how how J Pop is being managed, so they have poor performance outside Japan compared that with Kpop. It also happened to other Japanese content industry, see on how finally Netflix successfully make One Piece for worldwide audience

https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/netflix-finally-finds-a-manga-hit-with-'one-piece'1

"K-Pop is so much better than J-Pop" i

No, I never said that, I only said that popularity of K-Pop is surpassing J-Pop. Why does that happen? Just check it by yourself, if you were K-Pop fans abroad compared that J-Pop fans abroad. How easy to access, concert, legitimate content and merchandise between those two. See also how they manage their fan base worldwide and their promotion.

I don’t like that J Pop, I think it’s rubbish and very childish, incredibly manufactured dross in fact.

Hiw did they allow that beast to get away with his demonic perversions for so long. Nobody is even getting charged by the police, it makes me so cross.

I don’t like that J Pop, I think it’s rubbish and very childish, incredibly manufactured dross in fact.

That reminds me of a shallow middle class comment that says TV ruins the young.

J pop has its highlights. Take for example Puffy and アシア純真. Best J Pop song ever!!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6URj1wYRv4k

Japanese rock; who can forget the late "Judy and Mary"? Worth looking up.

as Johnny's being sidelined, the door has opened for other Japanese performers to raise their profiles,

I will believe that when I see the Fave Raves on telly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqLqE26YRoU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKzaUIqqyCw

If I understand it correctly, this "Smile Up" company is mainly for dealing with claims against Johnny's. When they are concluded, the firm will be shut down. In parallel, they are creating another agency that will operate as an agency as Johnny's used to. That company's name has not been announced and presumably its work will be done by Smile Up/ex Johnnys until the new firm is running.

If this is all correct, it begs the question of why the destined to be shut down company dealing with Johnny's crimes cannot remain as Johnny's. Why is it better for the company dealing with crimes by Johnny to be called "Smile Up". "Smile Up!" does not strike me as a suitable name for company that is compensating people out of contrition and shame.

How the agency didn't get shut down for good is mind boggling. Who'd want to do business with these scum? Changing their name (Smile Up is an absurd name btw but very par for the course in Japan) isn't going to change the fact that their reputation is mud.

I would tend to agree. Who would want to manage never mind deal with this poison chalice.

Good luck covering that up. I'm sure we will remember this scandal for a long time, even if this agency changed their name. I'm sure the faces of this agency are still there and may have been reshuffled in the business; not fired.

And more victims come forward.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/japan-johnny-kitagawa-sex-abuse-060958787.html

And more victims come forward.

Likely in the future big names will also come forward, after their careers are over and there would be no disadvantage in recognizing they were also sexually abused.

It was strange press conference.

Perpetrator company "Johnny's" who hadn't stopped sexual exploitation for decades decided "rule" of press conference unilaterally, they choose reporters, some journalists didn't obey to it, obedient many pro-Johnny's media criticized insubordinate journalists, not perpetrator company.

There was deceptive "system" similar to farce such as Japan's PM press conference recent decade.

When I read this line...

...the agency's performers are expected to be less frequently seen on television...

....I haven't felt such a feeling of relief in such a long time. Thank you. Thank you so much.

According to the news, some 300 + people want compensation, and I wonder how many are still having to hide what happened to them, because they don't want to damage their career and it is not just those that are having to hide it today (for whatever reason) but how many may have settled and taken hush money.

The impact on these young men may have been devastating with some questioning their very own sexuality, were they someone to blame, questioning everything...What if I spoke out? could I speak out, would the police have listened to me? and more importantly, would anything have been done to stop this man? I am sure some attended counselling.

This is the best thing that could have happened to some of the artist. If they are an established act they could now go out on their own and manage themselves and not get paid a monthly salary by a management companies that takes all of the merchandising and concert receipts and pay them a wage. They have the opportunity now to go out on their own and do like other entertainers in other countries.

kohakuebisuOct. 3  03:02 pm JST

If I understand it correctly, this "Smile Up" company is mainly for dealing with claims against Johnny's. When they are concluded, the firm will be shut down. In parallel, they are creating another agency that will operate as an agency as Johnny's used to. That company's name has not been announced and presumably its work will be done by Smile Up/ex Johnnys until the new firm is running.

If this is all correct, it begs the question of why the destined to be shut down company dealing with Johnny's crimes cannot remain as Johnny's.

Actually, I think the article that was printed yesterday said that "Smile Up" had been founded to take over the business while Johnny's would be closed down after the claims and compensation had been settled.