PRESS CONFERENCE
Alleged Victim of Johnny Kitagawa Speaks Out

Kauan Okamoto, Former member of Johnny's Jr & Musician

11:00-12:00 Wednesday, April 12, 2023
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation)

The FCCJ recently hosted a press conference by the makers of a new BBC documentary alleging that Johnny Kitagawa, pop Svengali and one of the most powerful figures in Japanese entertainment, had sexually abused young boys in his charge for decades. Now a former member of Johnny's Junior, the talent pool Kitagawa ran, has come forward to tell his story. 

Kauan Okamoto is a Japanese-Brazilian singer and songwriter. He recently told the weekly magazine, Shukan Bunshun, that he was sexually abused for four years by Kitagawa, beginning when he was 15 years of age.  Okamoto says he was assaulted up to 20 times during his apprenticeship and that abuse by the then elderly Kitagawa continued until later in his life.  https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/61911

Bunshun published accounts by other former members of Johnny's Junior who claimed they were abused in 1999. Kitagawa sued for libel, but the Tokyo High Court overturned an earlier legal decision in July 2003, concluding that Kitagawa's legal team had failed to counter argue the allegations in the detailed testimony of the victimized youths. Kitagawa's final appeal was dismissed in 2005.

Okamoto has agreed to come to the FCCJ and speak and take questions on the record because he says he wants to 'stop living in denial'. His account in Bunshun has attracted a lot of attention, with millions of page views within a day. Bunshun says the enormous appetite for more information on the claims against Kitagawa reflect the downplaying of the story in the mainstream media. 

How to attend: 
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding. 

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live 
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel. 

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/ENqMsEPdMGTQG399A
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. 

Professional Activities Committee