Smile-Up Inc., the successor company to Johnny & Associates Inc., said Friday it has started compensating victims of sexual abuse by the Japanese talent agency's late founder Johnny Kitagawa, with 23 of the more than 800 people seeking redress receiving payments.The company said on Nov. 22 that its panel of lawyers, formed in September, confirmed 35 people as victims of sexual abuse by Kitagawa, who died in 2019 at the age of 87, and would begin notifying them of compensation plans.Of the 35 victims, 30 had expressed their intention by Thursday to accept the company's proposal, while the re…READ FULL ARTICLE
