Hideaki Takizawa denies he was a sexual predator

25 Sep – Hideaki Takizawa has recently taken to social media to slam reports that he was a sexual predator during his time with talent management company, Johnny & Associates.

The former Tackey & Tsubasa member, who is the founder of the new company TOBE, found himself being the subject of a news story by two Japanese news outlets, which alleged that he forced talents to kiss him while he was still in the company founded by the disgraced late mogul, Johnny Kitagawa.

On 23 September, he posted on X, "Up until now, I have respected the freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and have never objected to the press. However, this article has too many distorted timelines and untrue content, so I would like to firmly deny it. There are people who believe even articles like this, and there are people who are easily mislead."

"In the age of online society where children are watching, it's not good for education, and I think it's too much. Reporting content that is different from the facts is something that should not be done, and as an adult, I think it is embarrassing. In the future, I would like you to stop posting information that is different from the facts. If this is a matter related to the artist, I will thoroughly refute and respond, but since it is a personal matter, I will leave my thoughts on social media."

He also expressed his apology to anyone who was unhappy with the news and stressed that fake news is considered violence in his book.

The late Johnny Kitagawa was found guilty of multiple sexual abuses
The late Johnny Kitagawa was found guilty of multiple sexual abuses

(Photo Source: Hideaki Takizawa Fanpage IG, KBizoom)