Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Monday to hold a ministerial meeting to address the issue of child sexual abuse following allegations made against the late founder of Japan's top male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc.
Relevant ministries and agencies are expected to discuss how to support teenagers who have been sexually abused, with some former members of the talent agency claiming they were molested by company founder Johnny Kitagawa, one of the most revered figures in the Japanese entertainment industry.
Child sexual abuse is "extremely malicious" and harms the mental and physical well-being of the victims, Kishida said during a parliamentary session.
Kishida said Masanobu Ogura, minister in charge of policies related to children, will take the lead in the discussions, with the focus on whether the government can take steps to prevent individuals in positions of influence over young people from coercing them into sexual acts.
The allegations against Kitagawa, who propelled numerous groups including SMAP and Arashi to stardom before his death in 2019 at the age of 87, have garnered international attention since the BBC aired a documentary in March that included interviews with some of the victims.
Last month, Johnny's president, Julie Keiko Fujishima, publically apologized for the scandals involving Kitagawa, but stopped short of accepting the claims by people formerly represented by the agency.
Former members of the Tokyo-based agency who have come forward as victims have asked Kishida's government to revise the child abuse prevention law to protect minors.
Ogura, however, has said that careful consideration must be given if the law is to be amended as the current legislation only encompasses abusive acts by parents or guardians.
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