SMILE-UP. CEO Higashiyama Steps Down After Three Years of Abuse Compensation

Noriaki Higashiyama, president of SMILE-UP. (formerly Johnny & Associates), announced his resignation on September 28, 2026, marking the end of his three-year tenure overseeing victim compensation related to sexual abuse allegations against late founder Johnny Kitagawa. Higashiyama, who took the role in 2023 following the high-profile BBC documentary that exposed the allegations, stated at a Tokyo press conference that his departure "does not mean we are drawing a line" on providing redress to victims. He emphasized his intention to continue addressing the issue as an individual after leaving the position.

Lawyer Masayuki Yamada, who currently serves as the company's Chief Compliance Officer, will assume the presidency on October 1, 2026, while retaining his compliance role. Representative Director Julie Keiko Fujishima, the niece of Kitagawa who resigned as president in 2023 before returning to her current position, will remain in her role. The company stated that future compensation work will focus on "legal procedures and situations requiring specialized judgment."

As of the announcement date, SMILE-UP. reported receiving compensation claims from 1,047 individuals. The company's victim relief committee had notified 587 claimants of compensation terms, with 578 having received payments. An additional 231 were informed they did not qualify for compensation, while 226 remained uncontactable. The agency, which rebranded as Smile-Up in 2023 following the March 2023 BBC documentary, has stated plans to close as an entity once victim compensation is complete.

Highashiyama, a veteran TV personality and former member of the boy band Shonen-tai who joined the agency in 1979, declined to discuss concrete plans regarding a return to the entertainment industry. His resignation comes as the company continues its remedial efforts following decades of abuse allegations against Kitagawa, who died in 2019.