June 6, 2023

Some former “talents” of the major male idol agency "Johnny and Associates" in the Diet building on June 5 handed to Dietmembers, including Japanese Communist Party Miyamoto Takeshi (Lower House) and Kira Yoshiko (Upper House), 39,326 signatures collected in just eleven days, calling for the prevention of child sexual abuse.

The former “talents” said that they had been sexually abused by the late founder of the agency. They demanded that the Child Abuse Prevention Act be revised to prevent a recurrence of similar abuses.

An ex-Johnny's member said, "We were around thirteen years old. We had had no sex education or awareness. About what was done to us by the founder, we didn't know if it was socially acceptable." He underlined the need to revise the relevant law in order to protect children from sexual abuse.

Kira told the victims that the JCP Dietmembers' group has established a project team regarding the issue of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. She pointed to the fact that freelance workers in the industry have been in a vulnerable position, adding, "Problems in the industry are varied. The JCP will cooperate with other parties in the Diet so that children and performers can be fully protected."

Past related article:
> Grooming is sexual abuse [April 21, 2023]