Japan’s boy-band industry sheltered an Epstein-like abuser for decades

Evidence

Yet ignoring morality for money wasn’t an exclusively American phenomenon. Japan harbored its own Epstein-like mogul, Johnny Kitagawa, whose talent agency dominated the nation’s boy band industry for decades. Kitagawa’s music groups were nightly fixtures on television, and he leveraged them to make millions in advertising deals. Fans of these idols were stans before the word existed. Yet behind the glossy exterior, Kitagawa faced persistent allegations of sexually abusing the young men in his charge. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 585

Categorization

• QUESTION: Is Kitagawa’s case structurally parallel to Epstein’s in how the industry institutionalized his immunity? Worth probing whether fandom’s intensity provided the insulation.
• SEED: Possible essay angle: fandom’s intensity as a protective shield for abusers—both Epstein (enhanced by celebrity culture) and Kitagawa (by idol culture).