A working group of the U.N. Human Rights Council said Thursday it will visit Japan from late July to early August, with sources indicating it will investigate sexual abuse claims against Johnny Kitagawa, the late founder of Japan's top male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc.
During the visit from July 24 to Aug. 4, the Working Group on Business and Human Rights is expected to conduct interviews with people formerly linked to the agency who say they were abused by Kitagawa, who died in 2019.
The working group will not disclose individuals subject to the interviews so they will not be pressured or interfered with, but a lawyer of one of the alleged victims was contacted ahead of the visit to arrange an interview, according to sources close to the situation.
"The experts will assess efforts to identify, prevent and address adverse impacts of business operations on human rights and the environment," it said in a statement, without mentioning Johnny's or any other case specifically.
The delegation will be made up of two people, one from Nigeria and the other from Thailand, and they will travel to Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, Hokkaido and Fukushima prefectures and will hold a press conference in Tokyo on the final day of their visit.
Seven former members of the agency formed an association of victims late last week as they all claim they were abused by Kitagawa, Junya Hiramoto, the head of the group, told Kyodo News Friday.
Akimasa Nihongi, 39, and Kazuya Nakamura, 36, proposed to establish the group after the two previously spoke out publicly about their allegations.
"The agency has refused to take responsibility and continues doing harm even now," the group said in a statement. "The issue is not 'all in the past.'"
Hiramoto, 57, said he is willing to cooperate with the U.N. investigation.
"Just the fact that they will listen to us in this way gives courage to those who have suffered similar abuse around the world," he said when welcoming the news. "I hope that Japanese society will also pay attention to this issue."
The allegations surrounding Kitagawa have garnered international attention after the BBC aired a documentary in March about the sex abuse scandal that included interviews with alleged victims, spurring other former members of the agency to come forward with their stories.
Johnny's president, Julie Keiko Fujishima, publically apologized for the scandal involving Kitagawa but stopped short of accepting claims made by people formerly represented by the agency.
The company has set up an external probe team to look into alleged sexual abuse by its founder and compile measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
Kitagawa was one of the most revered figures in Japan's entertainment industry, propelling numerous groups such as SMAP, Arashi and Hey! Say! JUMP to stardom before his death.
Related coverage:
U.N. human rights group to probe Johnny's agency sex abuse scandal
Japan PM vows meeting on sex abuse amid Johnny's talent agency claims
Sex abuse scandal-hit Johnny's talent agency to probe other cases
