Julie Keiko Fujishima

United Nations experts and victims criticised the operation of Smile-Up's compensation programme, citing a process perceived as opaque, rejections and insufficient information about certain calculation methods. Applications exceeded a thousand and several hundred payments had been made.

State of the evidence

UN expert criticism, claimants' criticism and company rebuttal documented

Legal status — source text

Non-judicial compensation process; no finding of personal wrongdoing against Fujishima

Attribution

100% owner and legacy-governance context; operational decisions not automatically personal

After resigning as President, Fujishima remained the sole shareholder of the former Johnny & Associates, renamed Smile-Up and dedicated to compensation, while a new company was to take over artist management. She explained that she was temporarily retaining ownership so the former entity could meet its compensation obligations and gradually wind down.

Although she had announced her intention to leave positions in the group's affiliates, it emerged in May 2024 that Fujishima still held the presidency of four entities and received directors' remuneration. In August 2024, Smile-Up announced that she had finally resigned from all four positions.

Following the BBC documentary and new testimonies, Julie Fujishima, then President of Johnny & Associates, initially declined to regard the allegations as established. The independent team subsequently found that governance had failed to address the abuse and recommended her departure. In September 2023, she acknowledged her uncle's abuse, apologised and stepped down as President.

Attribution

Personal executive responsibility distinct from her uncle's abusive acts

After inheriting Mary's shares, Fujishima used Japan's special business succession scheme, a lawful mechanism allowing inheritance tax on unlisted shares to be deferred or waived subject to conditions. In 2023, use of the scheme became a major controversy when she announced her departure from the agency's management.

After the October 2023 restructuring press conference, it emerged that consultancy FTI Consulting had prepared a list of journalists who should not be called on as a priority, commonly described as an "NG" list. Documents and testimonies showed that the list had been presented during preparations for the event.

State of the evidence

Consultant admitted preparing list; company investigated; no evidence Julie ordered it