Japanese entertainer and director Takeshi Kitano commented on the sex scandal with Japanese producer Johnny Kitagawa, who was posthumously accused of pedophilia, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter during the Cannes Film Festival.
He confirmed that sexual harassment and violence against artists has become a tradition in the Japanese entertainment industry. “Now they talk about things like LGBT and sexual harassment in Japan. “But it’s always been like that in our industry,” said Kitano, 76.
He accused major talent agencies of mistreating artists. “Instead of fair contracts, these agencies treated artists like slaves and still do. They monetize someone else’s talent. Recently these old institutional arrangements and events from the past have started to surface,” he said.
Formerly one of the most influential Japanese producers, Johnny Kitagawa, after his death accused pedophile 26-year-old Japanese-Brazilian singer Kauan Okamoto. According to Okamoto, Kitagawa sexually assaulted her at least 15 times in the four years since 2012. when the artist was 15 years old.