Originally, I was scheduled to attend AAS-in-Asia to present a paper entitled “Dispatches from a Fandom in Crisis: Ethnographic Reflections on Female Fans of Male Idols in the Wake of the Johnnys Sexual Abuse Scandal” as part of the panel Unpacking Responses to Gendered Crises in Precarious Japan: Media Representations, Collective Practices, and Fandom Debates on Wednesday 10th July, 3.30-5.00pm.

Here is the abstract:

For seven decades, the idol management agency Johnny and Associates and its male talents have been “bringing smiles and sensations to [fans’] world[s].” My emerging research on female fans of Johnnys idols – known as janiwota – initially focussed on theorizing how male idol fandom represents a space replete with empowering, feminist potential within a society which often denies women the right to be the masters of their desires. With the revelation in early 2023 of the widespread sexual abuse of young boys and men training at Johnny and Associates by founder Johnny Kitagawa, however, any feminist theorization of Johnnys fandom must now account for how the smiles brought to its predominantly female fandom were predicated on the alleged suffering of countless vulnerable idol trainees. Within this presentation, I draw upon digital ethnographic observations of fan discourse on social media in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal, coupled with participant observations of idol fan events, to explore why janiwota appear unwilling to distance themselves from the company. While recognising that most fans condemn the culture of sexual abuse at Johnny and Associates, I reveal that many continue to invest into Johnnys fandom as it represents one of the only outlets where female fans can exercise their agency, sexual, romantic, or otherwise in Japanese society. To conclude, I connect the Johnny Kitagawa Sexual Abuse Scandal to the precarious future facing contemporary Japan, particularly as outrage over sexual abuse by powerful men continues to grow around the world.

Unfortunately, due to unexpected research commitments, I am no longer able to attend in person and will instead have my recorded presentation played. The recording is too long for the time allotted so I have uploaded the full thing here for those who would like to hear my full thoughts.

You can access the recording by clicking this link.