TOKYO (TR) – Smile-Up., the company tasked with compensating victims of late entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa’s decades-long sexual abuse, announced on Friday that it has completed payouts to 575 individuals while rejecting hundreds of other claims.
According to an update published on its official website, the company’s victim relief committee has received a staggering 1,044 claims for compensation since the application process began. However, the agency noted that 226 of those claimants have failed to respond to the committee despite multiple attempts to contact them.
Of the remaining 818 active cases, the company has reached a decision on 813.
While 583 individuals were notified of their approved compensation details, Smile-Up. stated that it outright denied the claims of 230 people, informing them they would not receive any financial settlement.
Among the 583 approved claimants, 577 agreed to the offered terms, and funds have already been transferred to 575 of those victims.
The agency reported that just five cases remain pending as the committee continues to conduct hearings and verify the claimants’ past enrollment records with the former talent empire.
“We will continue to stand by the feelings of the victims,” Smile-Up. said in the statement. “Our entire company will do its utmost to provide swift and appropriate relief.”
