Hideo Sakaki , a prominent Japanese actor, film director and talent agency director, has been taken into custody after allegations of sexually assaulting a woman.
According to local reports, Sakaki is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s at an apartment in Tokyo’s Minato Ward in 2016. Police suspect him to have abused his professional standing as the woman aspired to be an actress.
In September 2022, the woman consulted Tokyo police through a lawyer before eventually deciding to file a formal complaint in June 2023. She first met Sakaki in 2015 at an actors’ workshop.
Sakaki has denied the allegations, calling them “false accusations.” The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has referred him to prosecutors.
Sakaki’s arrest comes nearly two years after several actors, including Midori Suiren, also spoke out about sexual violence allegations against the director. After the allegations were made public, the release of his film Mitsugetsu was canceled and his wife,...
According to local reports, Sakaki is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s at an apartment in Tokyo’s Minato Ward in 2016. Police suspect him to have abused his professional standing as the woman aspired to be an actress.
In September 2022, the woman consulted Tokyo police through a lawyer before eventually deciding to file a formal complaint in June 2023. She first met Sakaki in 2015 at an actors’ workshop.
Sakaki has denied the allegations, calling them “false accusations.” The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has referred him to prosecutors.
Sakaki’s arrest comes nearly two years after several actors, including Midori Suiren, also spoke out about sexual violence allegations against the director. After the allegations were made public, the release of his film Mitsugetsu was canceled and his wife,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Sakaki Hideo, a well-known Japanese actor and film director, was arrested on Tuesday in Tokyo on suspicion of sexual assault.
Japanese media, quoting police reports, said that the arrest relates to an alleged incident in May 2016. They also cite Sakaki’s denial of the charges, which he calls “false accusations.”
The assault is alleged to have occurred at Sakaki’s apartment, where he took an actor in her 20s in order to give her acting advice. During the course of their encounter, Sakaki is alleged to have asked the woman to take off her clothes so that he could check for tattoos and suggested that she should get used to nudity in her acting career.
The actor and her lawyer consulted with Tokyo police in September that year, and filed a formal complaint in 2023.
The alleged incident was first reported in the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine in March 2022, which accused...
Japanese media, quoting police reports, said that the arrest relates to an alleged incident in May 2016. They also cite Sakaki’s denial of the charges, which he calls “false accusations.”
The assault is alleged to have occurred at Sakaki’s apartment, where he took an actor in her 20s in order to give her acting advice. During the course of their encounter, Sakaki is alleged to have asked the woman to take off her clothes so that he could check for tattoos and suggested that she should get used to nudity in her acting career.
The actor and her lawyer consulted with Tokyo police in September that year, and filed a formal complaint in 2023.
The alleged incident was first reported in the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine in March 2022, which accused...
- 2/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Alia Bhatt To Exec Produce Prime Video’s ‘Poacher’
Bollywood star Alia Bhatt has signed on as an executive producer on Poacher, an upcoming Prime Video investigative crime-themed drama series based on real events from QC Entertainment, the film production and finance company with credits for Antebellum, Us, Get Out and BlackKklansmen. Poacher, created, written, and directed by Richie Mehta, the series stars Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya and is set in the world of illegal poaching. Bhatt will EP through her Eternal Sunshine Productions business as an associate producer. Suitable Pictures, Poor Man’s Productions are also associate producers. “The impact of Poacher was deeply personal, and Richie’s portrayal of the urgent issue of wildlife crime resonated strongly with me and the team,” she said. Bhatt is known for films such as Highway, Udta Punjab, Raazi and Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva
BBC Children’s Builds Out...
Bollywood star Alia Bhatt has signed on as an executive producer on Poacher, an upcoming Prime Video investigative crime-themed drama series based on real events from QC Entertainment, the film production and finance company with credits for Antebellum, Us, Get Out and BlackKklansmen. Poacher, created, written, and directed by Richie Mehta, the series stars Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya and is set in the world of illegal poaching. Bhatt will EP through her Eternal Sunshine Productions business as an associate producer. Suitable Pictures, Poor Man’s Productions are also associate producers. “The impact of Poacher was deeply personal, and Richie’s portrayal of the urgent issue of wildlife crime resonated strongly with me and the team,” she said. Bhatt is known for films such as Highway, Udta Punjab, Raazi and Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva
BBC Children’s Builds Out...
- 2/7/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
A man who was a member of an association for sexual abuse victims of Johnny Kitagawa, the late founder of Japanese boyband agency Johnny & Associates, has died in what local media is reporting as a possible suicide.
The unnamed man was in his 40s and was found in the mountains in Minoo in Japan’s Osaka Prefecture in mid-October alongside what is believed to be a suicide note, the Kyodo News agency said. He had claimed to have been sexually abused by Kitagawa.
A representative for the association previously said that the group had received a barrage of online abuse since it was formed.
In early October, Johnny & Associates rebranded and split into two companies after the the pop giant acknowledged that Kitagawa, who died in 2019 at age 87, had sexually abused boys signed by the agency over a span of several decades.
Also in October, it was revealed that...
The unnamed man was in his 40s and was found in the mountains in Minoo in Japan’s Osaka Prefecture in mid-October alongside what is believed to be a suicide note, the Kyodo News agency said. He had claimed to have been sexually abused by Kitagawa.
A representative for the association previously said that the group had received a barrage of online abuse since it was formed.
In early October, Johnny & Associates rebranded and split into two companies after the the pop giant acknowledged that Kitagawa, who died in 2019 at age 87, had sexually abused boys signed by the agency over a span of several decades.
Also in October, it was revealed that...
- 11/15/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Powerhouse Japanese boyband agency Johnny & Associates, which is embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal relating to its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa, has announced it will change its name and split into two companies. In September, the pop giant acknowledged that Kitagawa, who died in 2019 at age 87, had sexually abused boys signed by the agency over a span of several decades.
At a press conference in Tokyo on Monday, it was revealed that an external committee for victim relief set up by the agency had received reports from 478 people, 325 of whom are seeking compensation. The agency, which is rebranding as Smile-Up to solely focus on identifying and compensating victims, said it would begin payments in November, local media reports.
That Tokyo-based company will eventually be dissolved, but its performers can join an as-yet unnamed independent company that is being set up to manage talent.
“All things with the Johnny’s name will have to go,...
At a press conference in Tokyo on Monday, it was revealed that an external committee for victim relief set up by the agency had received reports from 478 people, 325 of whom are seeking compensation. The agency, which is rebranding as Smile-Up to solely focus on identifying and compensating victims, said it would begin payments in November, local media reports.
That Tokyo-based company will eventually be dissolved, but its performers can join an as-yet unnamed independent company that is being set up to manage talent.
“All things with the Johnny’s name will have to go,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, engulfed in one of the largest sexual abuse scandals of the post-#MeToo era, said at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday it would change its name and split into two companies.
The existing company will be renamed Smile-Up and tasked exclusively with providing compensation to the hundreds of sexual abuse victims of late company founder Johnny Kitagawa, who died in July 2019 at age 87. A new, as-yet-unnamed entity will be established to manage the talent agency’s current roster of performers. The company said it will ask its fan club members to come up with the name for the new agency.
The move comes after years of cover-ups and denials by Johnny & Associates and amid mounting pressure within Japan and globally for a reckoning.
An external investigative committee set up by the agency says it had received reports of abuse from 478 of Kitagawa’s victims as of Sept.
The existing company will be renamed Smile-Up and tasked exclusively with providing compensation to the hundreds of sexual abuse victims of late company founder Johnny Kitagawa, who died in July 2019 at age 87. A new, as-yet-unnamed entity will be established to manage the talent agency’s current roster of performers. The company said it will ask its fan club members to come up with the name for the new agency.
The move comes after years of cover-ups and denials by Johnny & Associates and amid mounting pressure within Japan and globally for a reckoning.
An external investigative committee set up by the agency says it had received reports of abuse from 478 of Kitagawa’s victims as of Sept.
- 10/3/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates announced Monday that it will split into two entities: One named Smile-Up that will be focused on compensating victims of sexual abuse by its founder Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019, and the other a talent agency that will continue working with upcoming artists.
The agency will operate under a new name, which as yet to be decided, as it moves to disassociate itself from its disgraced founder. 325 victims have come forward to claim compensation, the company stated during Monday’s press conference, per Reuters.
The agency will operate under a new name, which as yet to be decided, as it moves to disassociate itself from its disgraced founder. 325 victims have come forward to claim compensation, the company stated during Monday’s press conference, per Reuters.
- 10/3/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
The Johnny & Associates talent agency in Japan is to dissolve following a major scandal caused by the acts of sexual abuse conducted by the group’s late founder Johnny Kitagawa.
The company announced on Monday that it will break itself into two parts – one to be called Smile-Up, entirely devoted to compensating victims – the other as a talent agency operating with a new name, that has yet to be decided.
The group began to take action last month following two damning investigations that found that Kitagawa’s abuse had been hugely extensive and continued for years and that the company and Japanese media had ignored, if not covered it up.
On Monday it said that some 325 victims had come forward to claim compensation.
In a statement read out on behalf of former company president Julie Fujishima, who still owns 100% of the agency, said that it was her duty as...
The company announced on Monday that it will break itself into two parts – one to be called Smile-Up, entirely devoted to compensating victims – the other as a talent agency operating with a new name, that has yet to be decided.
The group began to take action last month following two damning investigations that found that Kitagawa’s abuse had been hugely extensive and continued for years and that the company and Japanese media had ignored, if not covered it up.
On Monday it said that some 325 victims had come forward to claim compensation.
In a statement read out on behalf of former company president Julie Fujishima, who still owns 100% of the agency, said that it was her duty as...
- 10/2/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Fujishima ‘Julie’ Keiko has quit as president of Johnny and Associates, the Japanese talent agency that is embroiled in a poisonous child sex abuse scandal.
The alleged abuses were committed over several decades by company founder the late Johnny Kitagawa, Fujishima’s uncle, two external reports have found. Some of the boys were still of elementary school age when they were allegedly abused.
Fujishima will be replaced as president by actor Higashiyama Noriyuki, a long-term employee of the powerhouse agency and host of the TV Asahi show “Sunday Live!!”
The company held a press conference on Thursday to announce the leadership change and take press questions over its responses and remedies to the scandal. It ran for some four hours and was covered live by major TV channels.
During the event, both Higashiyama and Fujishima acknowledged that Kitagawa committed acts of sexual abuse against young agency talents prior to his...
The alleged abuses were committed over several decades by company founder the late Johnny Kitagawa, Fujishima’s uncle, two external reports have found. Some of the boys were still of elementary school age when they were allegedly abused.
Fujishima will be replaced as president by actor Higashiyama Noriyuki, a long-term employee of the powerhouse agency and host of the TV Asahi show “Sunday Live!!”
The company held a press conference on Thursday to announce the leadership change and take press questions over its responses and remedies to the scandal. It ran for some four hours and was covered live by major TV channels.
During the event, both Higashiyama and Fujishima acknowledged that Kitagawa committed acts of sexual abuse against young agency talents prior to his...
- 9/7/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The late founder of one of Japan’s most powerful talent agencies assaulted and abused hundreds boys as far back as the 1950s and up through the 2010s, according to the findings of a new internal investigation.
Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019, was the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a prominent agency that managed and assembled an array of popular boy bands in Japan. While sexual assault accusations against Kitagawa had been floating around for years, Johnny & Associates was compelled to launch its own investigation after a new...
Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019, was the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a prominent agency that managed and assembled an array of popular boy bands in Japan. While sexual assault accusations against Kitagawa had been floating around for years, Johnny & Associates was compelled to launch its own investigation after a new...
- 8/30/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
External investigators hired by Johnny and Associates, the Japanese talent agency whose founder, the late Johnny Kitagawa, is accused of sexually abusing his young clients, have called for the resignation of company president Julie Fujishima.
Published Tuesday, the report said that the company must accept that the claims of abuse are true, apologize and make amends. It recommended that Fujishima, who is Kitagawa’s niece, depart in order to avoid issues of family control and to ensure “total reform” of the company.
In a Japanese-language statement on its website, Johnny’s said: “Once again we sincerely apologize for the great concern and anxiety that this matter has caused everybody. In addition, we plan to hold a press conference based on the findings and recommendations of this team, and we plan to separately inform the relevant parties of the details.”
The company statement did not provide a date for the press...
Published Tuesday, the report said that the company must accept that the claims of abuse are true, apologize and make amends. It recommended that Fujishima, who is Kitagawa’s niece, depart in order to avoid issues of family control and to ensure “total reform” of the company.
In a Japanese-language statement on its website, Johnny’s said: “Once again we sincerely apologize for the great concern and anxiety that this matter has caused everybody. In addition, we plan to hold a press conference based on the findings and recommendations of this team, and we plan to separately inform the relevant parties of the details.”
The company statement did not provide a date for the press...
- 8/29/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
An investigation by the U.N. Human Rights Council has concluded that the late Johnny Kitagawa, for decades the most powerful man in Japanese show business, abused hundreds of boys, and that the agency he founded has still not taken responsibility for the crimes.
Pichamon Yeophantong, a member of the U.N. working group which visited Japan, also criticized the inaction of the government and said it needed to act as “the primary duty bearer to ensure transparent investigations of perpetrators and that victims obtain effective remedies.”
The working group “observed deeply troubling issues” across the Japanese media and entertainment industry, according to Pichamon, who said that the absence of codes and rules around workplace behavior contributed to a culture of “impunity for sexual violence and harassment.”
Born John Hiromu Kitagawa in Los Angeles to a Buddhist priest in 1931, Kitagawa went back and forth between L.A. and Tokyo in...
Pichamon Yeophantong, a member of the U.N. working group which visited Japan, also criticized the inaction of the government and said it needed to act as “the primary duty bearer to ensure transparent investigations of perpetrators and that victims obtain effective remedies.”
The working group “observed deeply troubling issues” across the Japanese media and entertainment industry, according to Pichamon, who said that the absence of codes and rules around workplace behavior contributed to a culture of “impunity for sexual violence and harassment.”
Born John Hiromu Kitagawa in Los Angeles to a Buddhist priest in 1931, Kitagawa went back and forth between L.A. and Tokyo in...
- 8/8/2023
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Takeshi Kitano, arguably Japan’s most recognizable entertainer, has weighed in on the sexual abuse scandal that has shaken the country’s multibillion-dollar media landscape.
Since March, a long-delayed reckoning has been brewing in the country’s entertainment industry. For decades, rumors of rampant sexual abuse had swirled around Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny & Associates (locally known as just “Johnny’s”), Japan’s dominant talent agency for young male stars. But it wasn’t until the BBC aired an in-depth documentary examining the allegations — Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-pop — that Japanese media have begun to cautiously cover the scandal. In recent weeks, several other male idols have come forward with allegations that they were sexually assaulted by Kitagawa when they were boys, and the company’s current management has issued an unprecedented apology.
The Hollywood Reporter asked Kitano for his thoughts on the growing outcry during an...
Since March, a long-delayed reckoning has been brewing in the country’s entertainment industry. For decades, rumors of rampant sexual abuse had swirled around Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny & Associates (locally known as just “Johnny’s”), Japan’s dominant talent agency for young male stars. But it wasn’t until the BBC aired an in-depth documentary examining the allegations — Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-pop — that Japanese media have begun to cautiously cover the scandal. In recent weeks, several other male idols have come forward with allegations that they were sexually assaulted by Kitagawa when they were boys, and the company’s current management has issued an unprecedented apology.
The Hollywood Reporter asked Kitano for his thoughts on the growing outcry during an...
- 5/25/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The current president of Johnny & Associates, possibly Japan’s most fearsome talent agency, has formally apologized for sexual abuses allegedly committed by her uncle and agency founder, Johnny Kitagawa, against young male talents.
Kitagawa died in 2019, age 87. But an expose aired by the BBC in March this year and personal testimony by former Johnny’s talent Okamoto Kauan at a Tokyo press conference last month, brought matters into the public eye. Okamoto alleged that Kitagawa had repeatedly abused him and others.
Japanese media, which had maintained a general, if not universal, silence about Kitagawa’s alleged abuses for decades, has recently been stirred up by the accusations.
Johnny’s president, ‘Julie’ Fujishima Keiko, said published video statement on Sunday and posted it to the agency website. “We sincerely apologize for the disappointment and anxiety this has caused,” she said.
She added the agency has been conducting its own investigation,...
Kitagawa died in 2019, age 87. But an expose aired by the BBC in March this year and personal testimony by former Johnny’s talent Okamoto Kauan at a Tokyo press conference last month, brought matters into the public eye. Okamoto alleged that Kitagawa had repeatedly abused him and others.
Japanese media, which had maintained a general, if not universal, silence about Kitagawa’s alleged abuses for decades, has recently been stirred up by the accusations.
Johnny’s president, ‘Julie’ Fujishima Keiko, said published video statement on Sunday and posted it to the agency website. “We sincerely apologize for the disappointment and anxiety this has caused,” she said.
She added the agency has been conducting its own investigation,...
- 5/15/2023
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Gene Simmons was forced to take a seat when he became ill on stage during a recent Kiss concert in Brazil.
The rock band performed in Manaus, Brazil on Wednesday (12 April).
During the show, however, Simmons, 73, had to pause the show before sitting down for the remainder of the performance.
In videos posted by fans, singer and guitarist Paul Stanley can be heard asking the crowd to show their support for Simmons.
“Hold on, Hold on,” said Stanley, 71. “We’re gonna have to stop.”
He continued: “We know how much you love Gene, and he’s obviously sick. We’re gonna have to stop to take care of him, because we love him, right?
“Let’s give Gene a really loud, ‘Gene!’ One, two, three – Gene!”
As noted by People Magazine, a clip posted by the publication ACritica states that the performance was paused for five minutes before Simmons returned...
The rock band performed in Manaus, Brazil on Wednesday (12 April).
During the show, however, Simmons, 73, had to pause the show before sitting down for the remainder of the performance.
In videos posted by fans, singer and guitarist Paul Stanley can be heard asking the crowd to show their support for Simmons.
“Hold on, Hold on,” said Stanley, 71. “We’re gonna have to stop.”
He continued: “We know how much you love Gene, and he’s obviously sick. We’re gonna have to stop to take care of him, because we love him, right?
“Let’s give Gene a really loud, ‘Gene!’ One, two, three – Gene!”
As noted by People Magazine, a clip posted by the publication ACritica states that the performance was paused for five minutes before Simmons returned...
- 4/14/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Music
DJ Envy suggested Beyoncé was partially to blame for the poor sales of Chloe Bailey’s album In Pieces.
The 24-year-old singer’s debut record, released 31 March by Beyoncé’s label, currently sits at No 119 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and has sold just 10,000 units so far.
During the latest episode of The Breakfast Club radio show, the DJ – real name RaaShaun Casey – agreed with online critics who felt it was Beyoncé’s duty to promote Bailey’s album on her own social media accounts.
The “Have Mercy” singer signed to the Grammy winner’s record label, Parkwood Entertainment, in 2015.
“I do feel if you’re signed to somebody’s record label, or you are in business with somebody, right, that’s part of what you expect,” DJ Envy said.
“That’s why I’m signing to you,” he continued. “I’m signing to you because I’m hoping I...
The 24-year-old singer’s debut record, released 31 March by Beyoncé’s label, currently sits at No 119 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and has sold just 10,000 units so far.
During the latest episode of The Breakfast Club radio show, the DJ – real name RaaShaun Casey – agreed with online critics who felt it was Beyoncé’s duty to promote Bailey’s album on her own social media accounts.
The “Have Mercy” singer signed to the Grammy winner’s record label, Parkwood Entertainment, in 2015.
“I do feel if you’re signed to somebody’s record label, or you are in business with somebody, right, that’s part of what you expect,” DJ Envy said.
“That’s why I’m signing to you,” he continued. “I’m signing to you because I’m hoping I...
- 4/13/2023
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - Music
Former pop musician Kauan Okamoto has alleged that he was sexually abused by famed Japanese music producer Johnny Kitagawa.
Kitagawa, who died in 2019, was previously accused of abuse by a number of others, the details of which formed the basis of a BBC documentary in March.
According to Okamoto, he had been abused by Kitagawa up to 20 times between 2012 and 2016, from the age of 15, when he was the member of a boy band (per BBC News).
The Japanese-Brazillian musician also alleged that as many as 100 boys could have been abused by Kitagawa.
During his life, Kitagawa denied all allegations and never faced criminal charges.
Okamoto, now 26, released a statement detailing his claims after watching Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop on the BBC. In the documentary, it is claimed that multiple alleged victims told the broadcaster that they feared career reprisals if they didn’t go along with Kitagawa’s advances.
Kitagawa, who died in 2019, was previously accused of abuse by a number of others, the details of which formed the basis of a BBC documentary in March.
According to Okamoto, he had been abused by Kitagawa up to 20 times between 2012 and 2016, from the age of 15, when he was the member of a boy band (per BBC News).
The Japanese-Brazillian musician also alleged that as many as 100 boys could have been abused by Kitagawa.
During his life, Kitagawa denied all allegations and never faced criminal charges.
Okamoto, now 26, released a statement detailing his claims after watching Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop on the BBC. In the documentary, it is claimed that multiple alleged victims told the broadcaster that they feared career reprisals if they didn’t go along with Kitagawa’s advances.
- 4/13/2023
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Music
Japanese singer and songwriter Okamoto Kauan — a former client of the Johnny & Associates agency — has alleged that agency founder and long-time head Johnny Kitagawa committed numerous acts of sexual abuse against him and others.
Kitagawa, who died at 87 in July 2019, trained, launched and promoted many of Japan’s biggest male idol groups, beginning in the 1960s. Some of his main stars include Smap, Arashi and Kinki Kids. His agency remains one of the country’s most powerful, with the ability to boost ratings and box office takings through its national and international talent roster.
Okamoto levelled the allegations during a Tokyo press conference on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, he said that Kitagawa abused him “15 to 20 times” during his four-year stint at the agency, beginning in 2012 when Okamoto was 15. At the time, he was a member of Johnny’s Jr., a group of...
Kitagawa, who died at 87 in July 2019, trained, launched and promoted many of Japan’s biggest male idol groups, beginning in the 1960s. Some of his main stars include Smap, Arashi and Kinki Kids. His agency remains one of the country’s most powerful, with the ability to boost ratings and box office takings through its national and international talent roster.
Okamoto levelled the allegations during a Tokyo press conference on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, he said that Kitagawa abused him “15 to 20 times” during his four-year stint at the agency, beginning in 2012 when Okamoto was 15. At the time, he was a member of Johnny’s Jr., a group of...
- 4/12/2023
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Japanese distributor and sales agent Gaga Corporation has added “Arashi Anniversary Tour 5 x 20 Film – Record of Memories,” a concert film by the now disbanded Japanese mega-group Arashi, to its international sales line-up.
Directed by veteran hitmaker Tsutsumi Yuikihiko, who also made the group’s 2002 debut film “Pikanchi,” “Record of Memories” will have its world premiere as a gala screening at the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival.
Once a major act for the long-powerful Johnny & Associates agency, the five-man group Arashi debuted in 1999 and racked up a long list of hit singles, albums and DVDs, while successfully extending their activities into TV and films, before suspending activities indefinitely in December 2020.
The group was also popular across Asia, embarking on a 2006 Asian concert tour with sell-out dates in Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea. In December 2019, Arashi was named goodwill ambassador to China, a post they held through 2020, while promoting sports and cultural...
Directed by veteran hitmaker Tsutsumi Yuikihiko, who also made the group’s 2002 debut film “Pikanchi,” “Record of Memories” will have its world premiere as a gala screening at the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival.
Once a major act for the long-powerful Johnny & Associates agency, the five-man group Arashi debuted in 1999 and racked up a long list of hit singles, albums and DVDs, while successfully extending their activities into TV and films, before suspending activities indefinitely in December 2020.
The group was also popular across Asia, embarking on a 2006 Asian concert tour with sell-out dates in Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea. In December 2019, Arashi was named goodwill ambassador to China, a post they held through 2020, while promoting sports and cultural...
- 5/28/2021
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Will the death of Johnny Kitagawa lead to a change of attitude by the Japanese media to the powerful Johnny & Associates talent agency that he formed?
Public broadcaster Nhk and others this week reported a warning to the company from the Fair Trade Commission over alleged pressure on TV stations to keep members of the boy band Smap off air following its breakup. Johnny’s denied the allegations and that it had not received an administrative punishment, but added that it would be “careful not to cause future misunderstandings.”
When Kitagawa died on July 9, age 87, the Japanese media treated it as major news. President of Johnny’s, Kitagawa was a power on the Japanese entertainment scene for more than 40 years, launching a succession of boy bands. His acts, including Tanokin Trio, Smap, Arashi, Kinki Kids and Kat-tun, not only generated hit records, but became ubiquitous on TV as everything from...
Public broadcaster Nhk and others this week reported a warning to the company from the Fair Trade Commission over alleged pressure on TV stations to keep members of the boy band Smap off air following its breakup. Johnny’s denied the allegations and that it had not received an administrative punishment, but added that it would be “careful not to cause future misunderstandings.”
When Kitagawa died on July 9, age 87, the Japanese media treated it as major news. President of Johnny’s, Kitagawa was a power on the Japanese entertainment scene for more than 40 years, launching a succession of boy bands. His acts, including Tanokin Trio, Smap, Arashi, Kinki Kids and Kat-tun, not only generated hit records, but became ubiquitous on TV as everything from...
- 7/18/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Johnny Kitagawa, a controversial and powerful Japanese-American music producer and talent agency founder, died on Tuesday in a Tokyo hospital, after a stroke, at the age of 87. He was hospitalized after collapsing on June 18.
Through his agency Johnny's Associates, which he ran with his sister Mary, he created megastar boy-bands, including Smap, Kat-tun and Arashi, whose members became fixtures in the pop charts and on television, as well as appearing in movies.
Kitagawa held Guinness World Records for the most number one singles and the most concerts produced by an individual. He was also the subject of multiple ...
Through his agency Johnny's Associates, which he ran with his sister Mary, he created megastar boy-bands, including Smap, Kat-tun and Arashi, whose members became fixtures in the pop charts and on television, as well as appearing in movies.
Kitagawa held Guinness World Records for the most number one singles and the most concerts produced by an individual. He was also the subject of multiple ...
- 7/10/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Johnny Kitagawa, a controversial and powerful Japanese-American music producer and talent agency founder, died on Tuesday in a Tokyo hospital, after a stroke, at the age of 87. He was hospitalized after collapsing on June 18.
Through his agency Johnny's Associates, which he ran with his sister Mary, he created megastar boy-bands, including Smap, Kat-tun and Arashi, whose members became fixtures in the pop charts and on television, as well as appearing in movies.
Kitagawa held Guinness World Records for the most number one singles and the most concerts produced by an individual. He was also the subject of multiple ...
Through his agency Johnny's Associates, which he ran with his sister Mary, he created megastar boy-bands, including Smap, Kat-tun and Arashi, whose members became fixtures in the pop charts and on television, as well as appearing in movies.
Kitagawa held Guinness World Records for the most number one singles and the most concerts produced by an individual. He was also the subject of multiple ...
- 7/10/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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