The scariest thing is
Many boys are still grateful and loving him
In the past few days, the Japanese entertainment industry has ushered in an earthquake that has been accumulating for a long time.
The BBC has released a documentary titled Predator: The Hidden Scandal of J-Pop, revealing the 50-year sexual abuse of its artists by Johnny Kitagawa by Janis, founder of Janis.
Kitagawa is the "god" of the Japanese entertainment industry and the godfather of idol culture, and single-handedly founded the most famous star-making factory Janis, which has the reputation of "covering the sky with one hand" in Japan.
Over the decades, he has single-handedly created SMAP, Kinki Kids, KAT-TUN, Hey! Say！ JUMP, Arashi, V6 and other well-known idol groups. For example, Kimura Takuya, who has retired from the club, was the first idol in Asia during his time in the club; Arashi's album sales were once the number one in the world.
After the 80s and 90s in Asia, who hasn't loved a few beautiful teenagers from Janis?
So fans willingly believe in Kitagawa because "without Mr. Kitagawa, Japanese idol culture would not exist." “
Kitagawa
Therefore, although the Japanese media "Weekly Bunchun" reported as early as 1999 on Kitagawa 's crime against male artists, especially underage artists, no Japanese mainstream media responded, and the matter was quickly suppressed.
Kitagawa died 4 years ago. He was hardly denounced by anyone during his lifetime, and these scandals did not even affect his reputation and status in the slightest.
But the damage he caused to these boys, and the shadow he left behind, will last a lifetime.
01
Even if treated that way
"They still love him"
On the streets of Tokyo and on major TV shows, Janis entertainers can be seen everywhere, and they surround the lives of Japanese people.
And Kitagawa is the only king of Janis.
Every year, Janis brings hundreds of trainees between the ages of 8 and 15. After entering the company, they will receive free dancing and singing training, and the outstanding ones will become the accompaniments of popular boy bands and gain a certain exposure opportunity.
The boy's position, debut qualifications, and debut time are all decided by the king alone.
Therefore, in a sense, Kitagawa has for a long time determined what stars Japanese people chase, what music they listen to, what concerts they watch, what TV dramas they are obsessed with, what pops they hold, and what brands they buy.
This influence once extended to all of Asia and even the world.
But even so, Kitagawa himself has rarely been exposed.
People hear his name, his exploits, his legends, thanks to most of the gameplay of the Asian idol circle he invented, but this man is invisible to the public.
Not to mention the show, there are very few photos.
Whether this stealth is due to his natural low-key personality, or whether it is to hide his dark places, it is difficult to accurately determine.
Most people who have met him, especially the artists he has cultivated, unanimously say that Kitagawa is a gentle and kind person.
It is probably the complex combination of power and gentleness that makes these hurt teenagers have quite complicated feelings for him.
Some people are still suffering.
A middle-aged former trainee couldn't help but burst into tears in an interview, recounting how shortly after entering Janis, his body was treated like a toy by Kitagawa , including his sexual organs.
"After that, I was told that I couldn't be famous if I didn't put up with it."
There are also people who do not feel that this is hurt, but love.
In 1996, Jun Hiragi published "All of Janis: The Hall of Love for Teenagers", in which he described in detail the past of Janis's teenagers living in a dormitory with Kitagawa and Kitagawa bathing and rubbing their backs.
The dormitory is actually Kitagawa 's home, and only one adult and a group of underage boys live in the home.
Nearly 30 years later, Jun Hiragi was interviewed again, and he still refers to Kitagawa as "a person who has a strong love for children", he caresses the boy's body and private parts, and he has received excessive "massage".
It's no secret that everyone said it by word of mouth and even joked with each other that "it was given to Mr. Kitagawa for the first time".
He believes that some children are not harmed by this, and many people compete for favors in order to get Kitagawa attention.
So in that dormitory, "it's really a big family."
There is also Dragon, who worked as a trainee in Janis for several years.
When Kitagawa asked to massage him because he was too tired from work, he realized in his head, "It's bad, it's my turn." “
But the dragon didn't hate the king for it, and could even laugh at the experience.
"I still like him and I think we are well cared for."
There are even trainees who regret that they have not been unspoken by the rules.
Because as you know, this means getting a "red" appearance ticket.
And for trainees who want to become big stars, and the parents of these trainees, Kitagawa likes young boys' orientation is also no secret.
Some parents will even take the initiative to "send" their children to Kitagawa or even let their children take the initiative to please Kitagawa .
Under such a system and situation, it may be difficult for children to judge that Kitagawa is doing harm to their behavior.
02
There have been accusations for a long time
but silently
What Kitagawa did to his boys was sporadic as early as 80 years. But it really attracted attention because of the long report of "Weekly Bunchun" in 1999.
Weekly Bunchun is one of Japan's most influential media, exposing all kinds of shady scenes in Japanese politics and entertainment all year round.
Wen Chun interviewed more than a dozen underage boys under Janis, some of whom had been sexually harassed by Kitagawa and some were raped, the youngest of whom was only 12 years old.
They don't want this to happen to Mr. Kitagawa like this, but if they refuse, the star path will become bleak and even have no hope of debuting.
Even when Bunchun fired the first shot, the mainstream media throughout Japan chose to remain silent.
Japanese entertainment journalist Masaru Nashimoto believes that the reason is simple: "If you are a TV station and do not listen to Kitagawa , then all the popular stars will quit your show, your variety show will not invite any stars to be interviewed, and the ratings will plummet." The same is true for magazines. “
Truly. After Wen Chun's report, Janis not only sued Wen Chun for defamation, but Wen Chun and the company's publications were strictly prohibited from using any photos and interviews of Janis artists.
Although Wen Chun won a supreme case against Kitagawa for sexually abusing children, he ended up refusing it.
Because the person concerned and the guardian of the person did not raise the need for a criminal investigation, and Kitagawa did not belong to the parent or guardian, which does not meet the definition of child abuse under Japanese law, the police will not charge Kitagawa with child abuse.
In addition to Wen Chun, there are also parties who personally admit this matter.
In 1988, Japanese actor and former idol group Four Leaves member Kitamiya Ji published his diary "To Hikaru GENJI". He recorded in his diary that he had had sex with Kitagawa several times, the first time when he was only 15 years old.
Thinking about it, the relationship lasted for more than four years, and Kitamiya Ji also changed from forced to voluntary, because he felt Kitagawa "full love" and enjoyed the resources brought by this "love".
As Kitamiya grew older, Kitagawa slowly lost interest in him and turned his sights to newcomers to the company.
These evil deeds have not stopped with aging.
Last year, Janis's former trainee Okamoto カウアン was sexually assaulted by Kitagawa after breaking the news that he joined the company, he was only fifteen or six years old at the time, and Kitagawa was already 81. He also had a threesome with popular actor Hirano Ziyao.
At the end of Kitagawa at the helm of the company, Hirano Ziyao was known as the new prince of Janis because of his good resources.
In 2019, Kitagawa passed away. Janis held a grand memorial service for him at Tokyo Dome, the dream of countless Japanese entertainers. The Prime Minister also mourned for him.
No mainstream media in Japan questioned the harm he had done to the children.
03
Outsiders were shocked
Insiders were indifferent
The BBC, as an overseas media that is not constrained by Janis, let Kitagawa sexually assault more people know for the first time.
Although it was a bomb, it was not "blown up" to the Japanese masses and fans.
One is that it has been rumored for a long time and is not new to those who understand idol culture. In the documentary, except for a few interviewees who did not debut, the popular artists were not disclosed by name.
Second, many Japanese still believe that Kitagawa has done more to Japan than he has done, that he is a god-like existence, that the deceased has passed away, and that accountability is not necessary.
Third, Japan's long-standing shame education, society is unwilling to admit that such a thing will happen. There are even people who use LGBTQ whitewashing Kitagawa for special hobbies.
For fans, Kitagawa is a great contributor to the fame of his idol. They prefer to believe that their idols are so lucky that they are free from the clutches of the devil.
Kitagawa scandal can't stop Janis's development, nor can it stop people's longing and love.
There are still a lot of people who want to get into Janis and want to be the ones standing on top of the mountain, and it's not a big deal to endure some kind of pain for that.
Although it has been four years since Kitagawa died and Janis is not as brilliant as in the past, this "Game of Thrones" may not be over.
Janis has promised to develop a new system this year, can we still expect it?
Text, Editor/Siri110
Some sources: BBC, Wenchun, NYT, The Guardian
The picture comes from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete
The above is from "The Bund"