Smile Up President Noriyuki Higashiyama Steps Down
Masayuki Yamada will become president as Smile-Up handles 1,047 compensation claims and prepares to close after settling abuse allegations.
- On Monday, Smile-Up Inc. President and Representative Director Noriyuki Higashiyama announced he will step down when his term expires at the end of this month, with chief compliance officer Masayuki Yamada succeeding him as president.
- Johnny & Associates rebranded to Smile-Up in October 2023 following revelations regarding sexual abuse by late founder Johnny Kitagawa, with the company now focusing primarily on victim compensation.
- As of Monday, the agency reported receiving 1,047 compensation claims, with 587 victims notified of terms; compensation has been paid to 578 individuals, while 231 were informed they did not qualify.
- Managing Director Akira Abe is also stepping down alongside Higashiyama effective October 1, while Takayuki Jin will replace Abe as the new managing director.
- While exiting his executive role, Higashiyama stated, "Even leaving as president, I want to continue confronting this issue as an individual." The firm plans to shut down entirely once it finishes providing redress to victims.
12 Articles
12 Articles
![Smart FLASH[光文社週刊誌]スマフラ／スマートフラッシュ](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Fassets%2FletterIcons%2Fsquare%2F00BFA5%2FS.png%3Fwidth%3D24&w=64&q=75){kind=small}
Noriyuki Higashiyama, who retired from the entertainment industry and took charge of dealing with the sexual assault issues at the former Johnny & Associates, will step down as president of SMILE-UP. on September 30th. While lawyer Masayuki Yamada will succeed him, Fujiwara, who handed over the presidency to Higashiyama in 2023...
Noriyuki Higashiyama announced his resignation as president of Smile Up. Following the press conference, there was a flurry of reactions to his "deep voice." In particular, baseball fans seemed to be struck by it, with many saying, "That's the voice I knew it was in..." Photo: Sirabee Editorial Department Noriyuki Higashiyama, president of Smile Up (formerly Johnny & Associates)
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources are Center
![Smart FLASH[光文社週刊誌]スマフラ／スマートフラッシュ](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Fassets%2FletterIcons%2Fsquare%2F00BFA5%2FS.png%3Fwidth%3D60&w=128&q=75)
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
