“Who is apologizing for what？” “Higashiyama is not the perpetrator” – Smile Up Compensation Headquarters Chief’s “2 minute 27 second phone call” causes uproar．
On October 20th at 9pm, the NHK special “The Real Face of Johnny Kitagawa’s Idol Empire” was broadcast. (Omitted) However, what made the biggest impact on viewers and caused a huge uproar on social media was the way Smile-up. (formerly Johnny’s Entertainment) responded to the victim’s family and the phone conversations that took place at that time.” (Television news source) Also appearing on this episode of “N-Spec” was Sachiko, the older sister of Johnny’s victim and original Johnny’s member Ryo Nakatani (who died in 2021 at the age of 74). In her book Johnny’s Counterattack (Data House), published in October 1989, before Johnny’s aggression was investigated in weekly magazines and other publications, Nakatani accused the victims of “the abuse,” writing, “I hope that this will be taken up as a social issue soon so that innocent young boys will not be victimized any more.” There is no doubt that this was a very significant publication. In an interview with ’N-Spec,’ smile-up. responded by saying, “We do not have a policy of not providing compensation just because a so-called ’tell-all book’ has been published,” but when they called Sachiko, they made a statement that suggested their stance was “no compensation will be provided.” “In an interview with ’N-Spec,’ Sachiko confessed that when she filed a compensation claim on her brother’s behalf, at first the company responded by apologizing profusely and saying that ’Johnny’s is at fault,’ but after a considerable amount of time had passed, they responded by saying that ’internal discussions had taken place that we cannot give money to someone who publishes a book that is anti-Johnny’s.’ Afterwards, there was a scene where Sachiko was on the phone with the head of the compensation department at Smile-up., who was in charge of her case, but it was so awful…” (ibid.) Sachiko prefaced her question by saying, “I don’t need money,” and asked Smile-up. how they would apologize to her brother Ryo, but the head of the compensation department responded as follows: “Right now I’m not sure who is apologizing for what. The people involved are now dead.” (Head of the department, same as below) “When Higashiyama (President Higashiyama Noriyuki/58) meets with the victims, he apologizes. I understand what you’re saying, but there’s no doubt that having the book written about him hurt him. There’s no doubt that the company went through a lot of hardship.” “(When asked if Sachiko’s book had that much of an impact) I don’t know anything about that period. If they say there will be no apology, then I can’t help but think that maybe I should apologize then.” “Is that (the apology at Ryo’s grave) up to Higashiyama?” “I don’t know why Higashiyama has to (apologize at Ryo’s grave). I would understand if they said, “Mary should apologize” or “Johnny should apologize.” (When it was pointed out that Higashiyama is currently the company’s representative) Higashiyama isn’t the perpetrator. I can’t apologize from the bottom of my heart. Listening to what you’ve just said… I’m not quite convinced. I’ll discuss this with Higashiyama about what to do next.” Higashiyama eventually met with Sachiko and apologized for Johnny’s wrongdoing, but he was heavily criticized for many points, including his use of casual language, such as “Are you going to do that?” and “Why?”, and his comments that sounded as if the company was also a victim of the exposé book. “Even from the perspective of the fans, the response of the compensation headquarters chief is extremely dishonest, and with the recent atmosphere of the agency, as an otaku, I can no longer say “I’ll keep shining there”… That’s the end of an entertainment agency.”
“The person who seems to be the compensation headquarters chief of Smile Up, not only does he make me question the authenticity of his position, but he talks in a way that doesn’t even seem like he has any real work experience. It was so bad that they thought that if they put someone like that at the front desk, they’d be able to make people give up.” “Wow, this… Even when I watch it again, it’s just too disgusting… (It’s been edited) From the sound of his voice, it sounds like a young employee in their 20s or 30s. Having someone with this kind of understanding as the compensation headquarters chief answering the phone is outrageous in the first place, and compensation or anything like that is not even worth discussing if they have the mindset of “we are the victim.” Many angry voices like these have been posted. For the rest of the article, please see the source.
Shukan Bunshun is the only decent media in Japan. It was Shukan Bunshun that covered Johnny Kitagawa’s sexual assault and put him on trial. It was also Shukan Bunshun that covered Matsumoto Hitoshi’s sexual assault. When it comes to the Unification Church, the Japanese media has succumbed to pressure and turned a blind eye. Shukan Bunshun is the only media that has reported without bowing to power. All the other media have hidden everything. They are the only conscience of the Japanese media.
Is the chief intentionally stirring things up? I’m sure he was assuming there would be a conflict, but I don’t think he’d stir things up to this extent.
Higashiyama retired under the mistaken belief that he would become the president of Johnny’s, but what he ended up becoming is the president of a company that cleans up after Johnny LOL. That couldn’t be any funnier.
I wonder if they properly apologized and compensated Hattori and his friends. They’re not Johnny’s, but they come from a socially influential family, so I’m sure they probably did.
>>41 Actually, you can’t get compensation with just verbal testimony but it has to go through the legal process I think the agency made a big mistake by promising compensation without going through the legal process.
There were rumors, and he lost the lawsuit, so he can’t say he didn’t know. I think he bears a lot of responsibility for leaving his juniors to be eaten alive.
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