J-pop abuse scandal exposes broader crisis of governance

In mid-May, mainstream Japanese television stations broadcast a one-minute apology from Julie Fujishima. Four sentences. Four bows. And a formidable absence of anything resembling regret, reflection or responsibility.

It was a terse, but rather necessary, response to claims of nearly 60 years of open-secret sexual abuse and paedophilia allegations surrounding her late uncle, Johnny Kitagawa — enigmatic svengali, pioneer of the Asian boy band genre and founder of one of Japan’s most powerful talent agencies for young male performers.