Former Johnnys Jr. is suing for sexual assault by Johnnys 's former president Johnny Kitagawa (who passed away in 2019). Yasushi Hashida (38) announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he had met with the firm's president, Noriyuki Higashiyama (56), and received an apology by the 22nd. Hashida appeared live on Nippon TV 's ``Jouho Live Miyaneya'' that day, and revealed that Johnnys Island president Yoshihiko Inohara (47) was also present.

Johnnys office contacted them and they were able to meet with both presidents at the same location on the 21st. Explaining the situation at that time, ``(President Higashiyama) stood there waiting for me and said, ``I'm sorry for making you feel bad.'' I'll start by apologizing.'' President Inohara said, ``If you feel intimidated or in pain, please tell me right away.''

 Hashida said, ``When I told him that I was sorry and that I was causing suffering to the talent and the fans, he said, ``Thank you for giving me the opportunity to change.'' I felt a little bit better knowing that you were moving forward properly. It was a relief," he said. There was no talk of monetary compensation.

When asked about the company name change, which is attracting attention, the answer was, ``We are preparing to make a solid announcement on October 2nd.''

Hashida said, ``I personally don't think it's a good idea for Johnnys to go away right now,'' and added, ``I don't think it's okay just because they changed the name, so they should compensate them for using the name Johnnys. That, in itself, is a form of integrity.''