History
1962–1989
In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency rented an office space owned by Watanabe Productions, operating under its management as well. Six years later, Four Leaves, a1990–2009
Around the 1990s, Johnny & Associates' marketing strategy changed to include variety show hosting as a specialty in their talents. At the time, the agency focused on marketing the singing and dancing talents of their acts until they would retire around age 25 as they aged out of the industry. Taking note of former Shibugakitai member Hirohide Yakumaru's success as an MC on ''Hanamaru'', Johnny & Associates subsequently trained their more recent groups to have public personas as well. During the 1990s Johnny & Associates began declining nominations from the Japan Record Awards and the Japan Academy Awards, partly due to a dispute about the musical genre of one of their groups at the 32nd Japan Record Awards. Another reason cited was that the nominations would engender competition among Johnny groups and with other nominees. In 1997 the agency founded a record label, Johnny's Entertainment. Also, a2010–2023
2023-present: Company rebranding
Charity activities
J-Friends
In 1998, Johnny's groups KinKi Kids, V6 and Tokio, formed a special charity-oriented group called J-Friends, to raise funds for the 1995 Hanshin and Awaji earthquake victims. The group continued with several activities, until their disbandment in 2003.Marching J
The agency continued its fundraising project, now with Marching J, for the Tōhoku earthquake victims in 2011. Its first event was held on April 1–3.Smile-Up Project
Charity activities continued as Johnny's "Smile Up! Project". On May 13, 2020, it was reported that 76 of Johnny's artists from 15 groups, including V6,Charity activities as Starto
Starto Entertainment continued the charity projects as part of their 2024 activities, with the single "We are", sung by the special unit "STARTO for you", formed by 75 members of 14 groups. The single was released in digital form on April 10, and as CD on June 12, with sales of the single going to Noto Earthquake relief funds. Additional information is expected to be released at a later date. As of June 5, 2024, the "Smile-Up Project" is no longer, being reborn under the name "Mindful", for which a new company has been established. General Incorporated Association "Mindful" will take over the charity activities, as well as other social contribution activities, like mental health care (which includes the support for sexual assault victims), enrollment support for higher education students in the Nursing field, and others.Views and controversies
Accessibility to talents
The business model of Johnny & Associates has an agency at the center in most areas in which it operates; the company has had its own recording, publishing, producing, filmmaking, merchandising, and advertising arms, a vertical integration that parallels Japanese system, and for most of its history transmitted information directly to fans exclusively through the ''Family Club'', a tightly controlled, membership-based platform on which its artists and their fans can communicate and share information with each other. During the 20th century, the F.C. was largely maintained throughSexual abuse cases
Original allegations and 2001 lawsuit
Several former acts from Johnny & Associates, including former Four Leaves member Koji Kita in 1988 and former Johnny Jr.'s member Junya Hiramoto in 1996, alleged that Johnny Kitagawa had been sexually abusing several boys at the agency in their books. In 2001, '' Shūkan Bunshun'' ran a series of similar sexual harassment allegations along with claims that Kitagawa had allegedly forced the boys to drink alcohol and smoke. Johnny & Associates sued ''Shukan Bunshun'' for defamation, and in 2002, the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of Kitagawa, awarding him in damages. In 2003, the fine was lowered to on the basis that the drinking and smoking allegations were defamatory, while the sexual harassment claims were not. Kitagawa filed an appeal to the2023 BBC documentary and new claims
= The documentary that shook the J-pop world
= On March 7, 2023, theBBC follow-up program A follow-up program by the BBC aired in 2024, called "Our World: The Shadow of a Predator". On April 25, Smile Up sent the BBC a letter protesting the edition of Higashiyama's words in the interview included in the program, as well as demanding a correction and apology for the problems caused by it to both Higashiyama and the victims who agreed to be interviewed. On May 3, 2024, the BBC refuted Smile-up's claims via X.
= The new claims
= On April 12, 2023, musician and former Johnny's Jr. member Kauan Okamoto claimed Kitagawa had abused him since he was 15, and that he was not the only victim. As a response, Johnny & Associates stated they were working on transparency from within company and were working with their affiliates, to ensure thorough compliance with laws and strengthen organizational governance. The presidents of television networksBroadcaster response
This led to a particularly divided response among the broadcasters. NHK restricted and cancelled artists appearances, while the four commercial broadcasters with numerous regular programs are taking a flexible stance, allowing the talent to continue appearing on their programs, keeping a close eye on the response from their offices.= NHK
= On 8 September 2023,Fuji Television On September 7, 2023,
TBS Television 20 September 2023,
TV Asahi On September 26, 2023, Hiroshi Shinozuka, president of
Nippon TV On September 25, 2023,
Establishment of the Victim Relief Committee
On 13 September 2023 was announced on the official site the establishment of the Victim Relief Committee & compensation reception desk. The Victim Relief Committee will be entrusted with determining the amount of compensation based on the contents of the declarations made by the victims, as said on the announcement. The committee is composed of three lawyers with no ties to Johnny's Office, nor to the victims seeking compensation. On 2 October, an external Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) will be appointed to formulate and implement basic policies on human rights and develop internal rules. According to the site, the agency plans to announce more specific measures based on the recommendations of the Special Team for Recurrence Prevention. In addition, the agency promised to not receive remuneration for the talent's program and commercial advertisement appearances for one year, with all income going directly to the artist.Lawsuit against Smile-Up, and the counterlawsuit
Two ex-Johnny's members filed a lawsuit in U.S. for 300 million dollars over sexual assault. Junya Tanaka, 43, and Kyohei Iida, 37, filed a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada. According to the lawsuit, Tanaka, then 15, had accompanied Kitagawa to Las Vegas in 1997, when he was molested by Kitagawa in the hotel. Iida claimed the same happened to him in 2002. Smile-Up responded that they would proceed, consulting their lawyers in the U.S. In February 2025, Smile-Up filed their own lawsuit against the two, and two other claimants. Smile-Up's lawsuit said the three victims' refusal to accept the framework should absolve the company of paying compensation to them. For the other victim, the company is seeking confirmation that it has no obligation to pay more than the amount of compensation offered by the relief committee. Tanaka and Iida held a press conference on February 6. At the news conference, Tanaka emphasized that Smile-Up’s lawsuit was filed shortly after it became clear that the company had been sued in the United States. Yuko Atsumi, a lawyer representing the victims, said Smile-Up is unilaterally imposing its own framework on the victims. She also said the lawsuit could be a means of preventing victims from taking legal action in the United States. A representative of Smile-Up told The Asahi Shimbun that the company intends to proceed with compensation payments in accordance with decisions of the victims relief committee. In November 2024, the company sued Shimon Ishimaru, 57, former deputy chief of the Johnny’s Sexual Assault Victims Association, dissolved in September 2024. The company is seeking confirmation that it does not have to pay more than 18 million yen in damages to Ishimaru, the figure proposed by the victims relief committee. Regarding the Shimon Ishimaru lawsuit, on February 13, a trial started at the Saitama District Court in which SMILE-UP. filed a request for confirmation of non-existence of debt. Ishimaru had asked Smile-Up for compensation of about 1.8 billion yen, but Smile-Up offered 18 million yen. The difference between both remained unresolved, and Smile filed a civil suit to confirm that Ishimaru's liability for multiple damages did not exceeded 18 million yen. At the first oral argument held in December last year, Ishimaru asked for compensation of about 180 million yen, a midpoint between the two amounts. On that day, he was preparing for his argument, and the judge questioned him about the evidence he had submitted so far, and asked him to submit additional documents. Preparations for the next hearing will be held behind closed doors, followed by public oral arguments. Revising the case, after the court asked Ishimaru to submit a breakdown of the original claim amount, he decided to request 2.2 billion yen. Ishimaru said, "I was willing to go down to 180 million yen if they were willing to negotiate", but when the negotiations broke down, I decided to claim the full amount". Regarding the difference between the original claim and the revised amount, Ishimaru said that he was only considering adding the legal costs, which could amount to about 400 million yen.Media blacklisting investigation
For years, Johnny & Associates has been suspected of having connections with the mass media to produce extensive and favorable coverage on the company, its acts, and Kitagawa, while reducing coverage on anything perceived to be a threat to their image and sales. An example noted by journalists mention that Kitagawa would threaten to withdraw his talent from certain music programs and channels if they provide unfavorable coverage or invite competing boy bands from other agencies. On July 18, 2019, Johnny & Associates was investigated by the Fair Trading Commission for potentially violating the Anti-Monopoly Act due to accusations of pressuring the media to reduce coverage on Atarashii Chizu, a group made up of former SMAP membersPress conference reporter blacklisting
On October 2, 2023, during a press conference addressing sexual assault allegations Johnny & Associates staff were videorecorded holding documents with lists labelled "NG (no good) Reporters," with at least 6 portrait photos and their corresponding seat numbers. According to the NHK the documents were brought in by FTI Consulting, a United States-based consulting company hired by Johnny & Associates to manage the press conference, to blacklist specific media reporters. During the conference each media outlet was allowed one question after being picked by the moderator. On October 4, 2023, Johnny & Associates denied involvement, stating "No one from our company has seen anything." Inohara on seeing the blacklist during a rehearsal meeting between Johnny & Associates and FTI Consulting staff reportedly pushed back, saying "What does this mean? It's no good if we don't call on everyone." On October 5, 2023, Johnny & Associates issued a press release stating a media blacklist was never produced nor requested by their staff. When asked to issue an apology FTI Consulting allegedly countered that they can only do so once it is cleared by their main office in the US. On October 5, 2023, FTI Consulting admitted the existence of the 'blacklist' as well as a candidate list of "preferable" reporters. According to the firm the lists were given to the conference moderator. Mutual concerns over reporters who could spend long periods of time talking about their own opinions, or ask thoughtless questions (or remarks) that could be unnecessarily stressful, painful, and/or uncomfortable to the victims who are watching the conference was given as a reason to create the blacklist. Contradicting Johnny & Associates' claims FTI stated both parties confirmed their policy on conducting the press conference. The press conference attracted criticism from journalists, broadcasters, and politicians at a time when Johnny & Associates was attempting to mend its public image and relationship with the media. Arc Times editor Toshihiko Ogata who was attending commented "As expected, it was a rigged press conference. We also got ahold of this list and are waiting for a formal response. I think it's amazing that the NHK was able to capture that footage." Shūkan Bunshun journalist Ryūtarō Nakamura commented "This is a totalCompany renaming
Several Japanese news outlets reported on October 1, 2023 that Johnny & Associates was considering creating a new company to manage its performers, while the current Johnny & Associates would change its name and continue to exist for the purpose of compensating abuse victims. It was also reported that Noriyuki Higashiyama, who became the head of Johnny & Associates after the resignation of Julie K. Fujishima, was also expected to head the new company. On October 2, Johnny & Associates held a press conference to outline their plans, announcing that they would be renaming the current company to Smile Up–taking a name that they had used in their 2020 charity project–effective October 17. Smile Up will continue to exist under the ownership of Fujishima and will eventually close down once all sexual abuse compensation requests, which numbered 325 at the time of the announcement, have been processed. On November 22, 2023 the company began to compensate the first 35 victims of the sexual harassment scandal while Smile-Up! received reports from 834 people until November 22, 2023 claiming to be harassed by Kitagawa. Higashiyama told reporters that performers working under the new, yet-to-be-named management company "will have the freedom to pursue their own career paths without being restricted or entirely dependent on the company." It was also announced that anything bearing the name "Johnny", such as related companies and company sections like Johnny's Island and J-Storm and performing groups such as Johnny's West and Kanjani Eight, would undergo changes to remove any trace of the Johnny's name. Higashiyama said that "all things with the Johnny's name will have to go," while Fujishima, who did not attend the October 2 press conference, said that she wanted to "erase all that remains of Johnny from this world." It was revealed on December 8, 2023, that the new artist management company would be called "Starto Entertainment", a name fusing the word "star" and the hiragana と (to), with the meaning for the latter to be "toward the future". The name of the new company was decided after reviewing 140,156 fan applications. Higashiyama was to replace Fujishima in both the new artist management company, as well as in the presidency of the original, but Higashiyama declined the role in the new one. Atsushi Fukuda, president of a consulting company, was appointed as president of Starto.Trainees
Trainees under the former company name of Johnny & Associates were known as Johnny's Jr. and have traditionally performed on Johnny's related variety shows and as backup dancers for the agency's groups. However, in recent years select Junior groups have taken on levels of visibility akin to mainstream senior acts, including national commercial sponsorships, solo concerts, national tours, and starring film and television roles.Notable trainees
* HiHi Jets ( ja) - formed 2015 * Bi Shonen ( 美 少年) - formed 2016 * 7 Men Samurai - formed 2018 * Shonen Ninja ( 少年忍者) - formed 2018 * SpeciaL ( ja) - formed 2018 * Go!Go!Kids ( ja)- formed 2022 * Lil Kansai ( Lil かんさい) - formed 2019 * Boys be ( ja) - formed 2020 * AmBitious ( ja)- formed 2021Former artists
Former recording artists
* Johnnys (1962–1967) ** Hiromi Maie (1962–?) ** Osami Iino (1962–1968) ** Ryo Nakatani (1962–?) ** Teruhiko Aoi (1962–1967) * Four Leaves (1968–1976) ** Kōji Kita (1966–1989) ** Takashi Aoyama (1966–1978) ** Toshio Egi (1966–?) ** Masao Orimo (1966–?) ** Eiji Nagata (1966–1977) * Hiromi Go (1971–1975) * Teruyoshi Aoi (1973–1976) * Jo Toyokawa (1975–1979) * Little Gang (1975–1976) * Mayo Kawasaki (1976–1989) * Masahiko Kondō (1977–2021) * Toshihiko Tahara (1979–1994) * Ippei Hikaru (1980–1985) * Shibugakitai (1982–1988) ** Hirohide Yakumaru ** Toshikazu Fukawa ** Masahiro Motoki * Shigeyuki Nakamura (1982–1993) * The Good-Bye (1983–1990) * Hikaru Genji (1987–1995) ** Mikio Ôsawa (1982–1994) ** Kazumi Morohoshi (1984–1994) ** Hiroyuki Satō (1983–1994) ** Junichi Yamamoto (1986–2002) ** Akira Akasaka (1987–2007) * SMAP (1990–2016) ** Katsuyuki Mori (1987–1996) ** Goro Inagaki (1987–2016) ** Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (1987–2016) **Former actors
* Nobuhiro Aoyama * (1982–1991) * Mizuki Sano (1991–2019) * Kazunari Ninomiya (1996–2023) * Toma Ikuta (1996–2023) *Former entertainers
*See also
*Notes
References
External links
* (in Japanese)