Tag - child-abuse

 
 

CHILD ABUSE

While Hayao Miyazaki’s return to filmmaking, “The Boy and the Heron,” did not attain the ¥10 billion milestone that the beloved animator’s movies had once routinely surpassed, it debuted at the top of the North American box office and became the first original anime film to lead the box office in the United States and Canada.
CULTURE / Film / 2023 in Review
Dec 15, 2023
Japan’s auteurs and anime triumphed in 2023
From Hayao Miyazaki's “The Boy and the Heron” to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster,” the box-office hits kept coming.
Fans in Osaka take photos as the company formerly known as Johnny & Associates removes references to its founder. The agency announced its new name, Starto Entertainment, on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 8, 2023
Johnny’s changes name to Starto Entertainment
The announcement signals a new chapter in the talent agency’s history as it scrubs references to its disgraced founder from its current structure.
The talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates announced it would change its name after acknowledging the long history of abuse company founder Johnny Kitagawa inflicted on young men. The news was followed by the removal of company signage bearing Kitagawa’s name.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Dec 2, 2023
The entertainment story of the year is long overdue
As entertainment heavyweights Johnny & Associates and Takarazuka Revue are hit by scandals, hope for reform emerges with changing attitudes toward abuse.
Ayuko Kato, minister in charge of child policies. A group of children of Jehovah’s Witnesses have submitted a report to the Child and Family Agency detailing sexual abuse.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 28, 2023
Children of Jehovah’s Witnesses submit report detailing sexual abuse
The report said that the most common perpetrators of sexual abuse were “rank-and-file witnesses” and “elders.”
The headquarters building of Smile-Up, formerly Johnny & Associates, in Tokyo's Minato Ward
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2023
35 Johnny's abuse victims to be notified of compensation
The company did not release the details of the compensation plans or the names of the victims, citing privacy concerns.
A website for a lawyers group supporting followers and next of kin over alleged Jehovah's Witnesses abuse
JAPAN / Society
Nov 21, 2023
Many children of Jehovah’s Witnesses experience abuse, Japan report says
Report sheds lights on abuses such as forcing the children to refuse blood transfusions regardless of their situation, and corporal punishment.
In a new program called Lantern, big tech companies will share signals of activity that violate their policies on child exploitation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2023
Tech giants pool efforts to fight online child sex abuse
Child victims of abuse online are a hot-button issue for regulators and tech firms are eager to show they are taking adequate measures to protect them.
A sign at a Johnny & Associates store in the city of Osaka is peeled off late Monday after the shop closed.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2023
With new name for Johnny's, focus shifts to victim compensation
The talent agency will face challenges in identifying those eligible for compensation due to the sheer number of victims of abuse by Johnny Kitagawa.
Elon Musk’s X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is allowing child sexual exploitation material to rampantly proliferate, according to Australian regulators, the latest in a growing list of legal challenges the company is facing.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2023
Australian regulators latest in series of legal woes for Musk's X
X is allowing child sexual exploitation material to rampantly proliferate across the platform, according to Australian regulators.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a government meeting to discuss measures against sexual abuse against children, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2023
Kishida seeks steps to protect children from sexual abuse
"The environment surrounding the safety and security of children has been threatened. The government needs to act quickly," the prime minister said.
A bill would have banned the act of letting children play in a park or travel to school on their own, as well as parents going out and leaving their high school-age children behind to take care of younger siblings.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 10, 2023
Saitama to withdraw proposed ban on leaving children unattended
The bill had been criticized by many parents in the prefecture and beyond as being too restrictive and impossible to follow.
NHK's building in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, where sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa reportedly took place
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2023
Johnny’s founder accused of sexually abusing teen in NHK bathroom
The man, who was a high school student at the time, said that he was assaulted in the fall of 2002 when he attended a dance lesson.
Yotsuya Otsuka cram school head office in Nakano Ward, Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Oct 6, 2023
Cram school teacher arrests ignite child safety debate
Two cram school teachers in Tokyo were arrested for allegedly taking photos of a female student's underwear and sharing them on a group chat.
A reporter raises their hand during a Johnny & Associates news conference on Monday. Journalists were limited to a “one question per company” at the event.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 4, 2023
Johnny’s news conference had journalist ‘blacklist,' reports say
Johnny & Associates has said it never made a request that specific journalists be passed over for questions.
Noriyuki Higashiyama (right) and Yoshihiko Inohara attend a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Oct 3, 2023
Unpacking the latest Johnny & Associates news conference
The flood of information released during the agency's latest news conference may have been difficult to grasp. Here's what you need to know.
A Yotsuya Otsuka cram school in Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 2, 2023
Second ex-Tokyo cram school teacher arrested for upskirt video
Narumi Nakamura allegedly asked his colleague to take a video of a 7-year-old student's underwear.
Johnny & Associates president Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), flanked by Johnnys' Island President Yoshihiko Inohara (second from left), unveils the company name Smile-Up during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2023
Johnny's to form new company in wake of sexual abuse by founder
The move comes after the agency acknowledged abuse and apologized to victims in a news conference last month.
Johnny & Associates' outgoing head Julie Keiko Fujishima and its new chief, Noriyuki Higashiyama, bow to express their apology during a news conference in Tokyo last month.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2023
Johnny's looks toward a revamp as it seeks to salvage tarnished brand
Recent attempts to distance the agency from the long shadow of its namesake have been met with public backlash.
The decision by Johnny & Associates during a news conference on Sept. 7 to retain the company name — despite its association with an alleged sexual predator — drew a lot of public criticism.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 20, 2023
Johnny & Associates considers changing name as criticism mounts
On its website, the agency said it was “discussing the future of the company, taking into consideration opinions and criticisms.”
Masanobu Ogura (center left), then-minister in charge of policies related to children, receives a petition from Hiroki Komazaki (center right), founder of nonprofit organization Florence, in Tokyo on Sept. 1.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023
Debate grows in Japan over proposed background checks for teachers
The Children and Families Agency is proposing to make screening for criminal convictions mandatory for people looking to work in schools or nurseries.

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