- Lindor powers Mets past Phillies into NL Championship Series
- Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
- Biden-Netanyahu talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- Musk's X available again in Brazil after 40-day ban
- Reddy stars as India crush Bangladesh to clinch T20 series
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- Arch rivals Ghana, Nigeria drawn together in CHAN qualifying
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Trump lauds India's Modi as 'total killer'
- Wall Street, Europe rise as Chinese shares tumble
- Hunkering down for Hurricane Milton at Disney -- but first, a few rides
- Reddy, Rinku power India to 221-9 in second Bangladesh T20
Japan boyband agency apologises over sex abuse allegations
Japan's top boyband agency has issued an apology over sexual assault allegations against its late founder Johnny Kitagawa, with fans demanding Monday that the firm "fully investigate" the matter.
Last month, Japanese-Brazilian singer Kauan Okamoto said he was repeatedly molested by Kitagawa, who established the entertainment empire Johnny and Associates.
Okamoto alleged that Kitagawa, who died of a stroke aged 87 in 2019, assaulted him during his four-year stint with the agency until 2016, starting when he was 15 years old.
He is one of the few to publicly address the star-maker's long-alleged history of sexual abuse against young boys, a controversy that resurfaced after a recent BBC documentary.
Kitagawa was never criminally charged over the accusations.
Julie Fujishima, Kitagawa's niece and the current president of Johnny and Associates, addressed the matter in a video and written statement published Sunday evening.
In the video, she apologised "sincerely" for trouble caused in connection to the allegations, and to the accusers.
"Obviously, we do not believe there was no problem. As a business and as an individual, I absolutely do not tolerate these acts," her written statement said, referring to the documentary and Okamoto's testimony.
"On the other hand, it is not easy for us to simply declare by ourselves whether individual allegations can be recognised as facts or not, when we cannot confirm with the individual directly concerned, Johnny Kitagawa," she wrote.
"This is not the kind of occasion where you can be forgiven by saying 'I did not know'. But the truth is that I did not," added Fujishima, a long-term executive at the agency.
A fan group called Penlight said Monday that the company's decision to issue online statements, rather than holding a press conference, had left many questions unanswered.
"We ask for the company to fully investigate and recognise the facts of the matter, to take responsibility as a corporation and apologise to the victims of sexual violence," it said.
Kitagawa launched his talent agency in the 1960s and engineered J-pop mega-groups including SMAP, TOKIO and Arashi.
His young recruits were known collectively as "Johnny's Jrs", and flocked to Kitagawa in the hopes of making it big in the lucrative industry.
O.Karlsson--AMWN