A group of victims sexually abused by late boy band agency founder Johnny Kitagawa announced on Tuesday that it would disband, saying that it has fulfilled its aim of having the company acknowledge and apologize for the abuse.
The group plans to disband on Saturday to coincide with the date of when Smile-Up, formerly Johnny & Associates, admitted its founder’s abuse and apologized during a news conference, on Sept. 7 last year.
“It has been a long and painful year, but we have been able to obtain recognition and an apology, as well as compensation and (pending) relief, and we are proud of the results we have achieved,” a statement from the group read.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.