Sex abuse scandal-tainted Johnny’s eyes setting up new firm

Johnny & Associates Inc., a leading Japanese talent agency embattled over a sex abuse scandal involving its late founder, is considering launching a new firm to manage its performers in a bid to mitigate the reputational fallout from the revelations, sources close to the matter said Sunday.

The move would come in the wake of criticism against the firm’s initial decision not to change its name, derived from its founder Johnny Kitagawa, who abused aspiring teen pop singers for decades before his death in 2019.

The new firm would succeed operations concerning the management of performers associat...