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© KYODOTalent agency Johnny & Associates warned by regulator over ex-SMAP members
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© KYODO
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Yubaru
Funny how this comes out AFTER Johnny died.
Chip Star
No mention of Hiromu's pederasty? It was one form of coercion for boys to be signed.
MarkX
Good, now that the accused pedophile has passed away, his house of cards will crumble and the power and influence he wielded will be gone. But I fear that Akimoto is ready to step in and take his place, with his stable of girl "talents" he is amassing!
Kazumichi
They manipulate show biz here, make it allowed for fake singers to lip-sync, and he molested boys and Jp girls deify the boys...
How corrupted!
Cricky
Well it pretty obvious that JONNNY was a pedofile and didn't want his "boys" actually having a career outside of his control. Having started his career " teaching" orphans (HUGE red flag) he went on to become a control freak for young people (HUGE red flag) wanting to become Talento. I'm suspicious that the "talent" agency he has left behind is a seething mass of sexual perverts that will continue to abuse young people solely for sexual gratification and continue to serve up dross "Talento". These SMAP members deserve to make money purley because they have survived, a abusive system with a monicommon of integrity.
gogogo
Complete BS, all talent agencies do this in Japan it is the sole reason the "variety" shows have so many "talents" on them because they are pressured to take them or they will be blacklisted and "talent" unavailable to them. Case and point any new talent out of Johnny's get prime time straight away due to pressure.... "oh don't take "kis my foot" you wont get SMAP.
Simon Foston
cracaphatToday 07:26 am JST
I'd like to see some karma on this side for all the entertainment industry people who knew what he was up to and let him do it.
Cricky
But not one word on TV news about his deviance or his need to control his "boys" he should have died in jail not snuggled in opulent cushions.
Bugle Boy of Company B
It’s ironic because those are the three with real talent.
rgcivilian1
very interesting indeed as they haven't been on media since the break up yet but were before.
papigiulio
I guess this happens with all talent agencies, but I do feel that too much power to one agency like Johnnies or the akb guy needs to be limited. Never liked Johnnies so the sooner this agency crumbles and the artists can go to other agencies the better.
Also, why dont the 3 do something on youtube, IF they are that famous im sure they will be able to get some money there. Better than nothing.
Cricky
Not disparaging workers who help those in need but pedofiles sneek in to be close to their targets. It's the 1% you have to be aware of. And Johnny was definitely that 1% that's all. When your funeral photo is a baseball cap and sunglasses even in death he hides....scumbag probably not enough venom for him.
Bugle Boy of Company B
I saw them on a tv CM.
JJ Jetplane
Blackballing is common is all entertainment industries. It happens all over the world. The biggest surprise in this article for me is this:
Blackballing is hard to prove and never really gets mentioned. But to have a warning issued is something uncommon.
HBJ
‘Johnnys’ and who ever it is that manages AKB and the like are disgusting companies that exploit young people (and worse).
The sooner they are gone, the better.
therougou
Only difference is Johnny's blackballs everyone that isn't Johnny's
Bugle Boy of Company B
What's worse than young people?
Triring
AKB is not managed by any single entity.They are produced by Akimoto Yasushi but all individuals are managed by the agency the individual are registered to.
Madden
Kimura was always loyal to Johnny and was rewarded for it. Anyway this is the thing that everyone knew about but was never "official", so I'm glad to see it out in the open now.
shashank
Abusive condition in kawaii culture of Japan
Kestrel
Another Jimmy Saville escapes justice. Even now not a peep from the japanese media on Johnnys sexual exploitation of young boys or the rampant sexual abuse/exploitation of children and young people in the japanese entertainment industry.
Shameful.
Bugle Boy of Company B
Well he HAD to be, as untalented as he is. Think about it. SMAP is finished. Three of the five are out. How much do we see of Kimura? Not nearly as much as when SMAP was together. Why? T-A-L-E-N-T.
Now that Daddy, sorry, Johnny is gone, there's nobody to prop him up.
Bugle Boy of Company B
Nakai, on the other hand, will have a long career because he's good at hosting. He was easily the worst singer in the group, but he'll have the longest career.
Jalapeno
Can't they appear in dramas? Do handshaking events? Compensating dating? YouTube videos of unboxing something? By gosh, their "careers" are not in the slightest bit over. Why, they are just beginning and ready to rocket to the moon.
smithinjapan
Now that the mogul has passed away -- and he did some good things and was not a bad guy (his sister was far more aggressive) -- it's time to clean up some of the dirtier and darker aspects of Johnny's.
I predicted SMAP would somehow try to make a comeback within a couple of years of "retiring", but I pray to god they just stay gone. Sure, a reunion tour in 20 years... fine. Reforming by next year, no thank you. They stank to begin with, ESPECIALLY LIVE, they will look far worse coming back.
Bugle Boy of Company B
reluctantly agrees with smithinjapan
Their comedy shows were always better than their singing. (And they weren't that funny - except for Katori)
Ascissor
@cracaphat
And the downsides?
kohakuebisu
Didn't this happen with Bobby and Thane Camus when they left whatever agency they were with?
While its tempting to dismiss Japanese tv and stories like this about it as a load of old rubbish, I think this story does matters because it was this gatekeeper role itself that enabled the more serious abuse at Johnnys. It was the same with Harvey Weinstein. Certain youth soccer coaches in the UK too, who have been found to have abused hundreds of boys. Japanese tv operates on channels (frequencies) that belong to the public. The ability for them to broadcast is a privilege, not a right. This closed shop approach should not be tolerated.
lostrune2
They need their own SAG-AFTRA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAG-AFTRA
Kestrel
@Smithinjapan,
"he was not a bad guy" ??
Kestrel
Kimtaku stabbed his SMAP mates in the back when they tried to finally stand up against Johnny. Kimtaku stayed with his sodomizer.
itsonlyrocknroll
There has be legislation that separates and provides, through an independent ombudsman, the means to establish a commission to demand under oath the necessary submissions for verbal evidence without malice of talent agency discontent.
itsonlyrocknroll
Of members or contactees.......