Assault of Maho Yamaguchi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Assault of Maho Yamaguchi
LocationNiigata Prefecture, Japan
DateDecember 8, 2018 (2018-12-08) (JST)
Attack type
Assault
Deaths0
Injured0
VictimsMaho Yamaguchi
Perpetrator2
LitigationLawsuit filed against:
  • Perpetrators

On December 8, 2018, Maho Yamaguchi, then a member of the idol girl group NGT48, was assaulted by two male fans of the group inside of her apartment building. Details of the incident were not disclosed until January 8, 2019, when Yamaguchi personally did on social media, also explaining that her personal information was leaked to the men through other members of NGT48, and denouncing the group's management for inaction on the issue. She was then allegedly pressured into apologizing in public, sparking outrage in Japan and abroad, with many celebrities including fellow NGT48 members accusing the group's management of victim blaming.

The NGT48 management assigned a female manager for the group, saying a woman would be better able to understand members' situations, and tasked a third-party committee to examine the incident, including the possible extent of other group members' involvement. The ensuing press conference led to a public clash when Yamaguchi rebutted management's claims in real time on Twitter, and led to local companies choosing not to renew yearly sponsorships. The decision by the agency to pardon those members who had been intimate with fans ultimately pushed Yamaguchi to withdraw from the group. Afterward, the management initiated a civil lawsuit against her alleged assailants, which ended in an out-of-court settlement.

Incident[]

On January 8, 2019, Maho Yamaguchi, who was the co-captain of one of NGT48's sub-groups, alleged in her Showroom live stream and Twitter that on December 8, 2018, two men[1] assaulted her as she was entering her apartment. She alleged that they grabbed her face and attempted to pin her on the ground, and were stopped by another resident.[2][3][4][5][6] The men, both 25-year old university students, were arrested by the police, and released from custody 20 days later without prosecution.[7] They denied Yamaguchi's description of events, claiming that they "just wanted to talk".[4] A third male accomplice was later identified by management.[8][9] Early reports on the incident mentioned the building was used by the NGT48 management as a surrogate for a dormitory for members who do not live in Niigata Prefecture[10] and that the building was furnished with an automatic lock at the entrance.[11]

Yamaguchi had brought the incident to the attention of the management of NGT48, but after a month of silence,[12] she decided to bring the issue to the public.[13][5] After her live stream was cut abruptly, Yamaguchi posted several since-deleted tweets detailing her account and claiming that others NGT48 members were responsible for leaking her personal information to her assailants, including her own address and what time she would be returning home.[2][4]

During the group's third anniversary theater show on January 10, Yamaguchi publicly apologized for "causing trouble" by speaking out.[13][5] A petition on Change.org calling for the resignation of NGT48 director Etsuro Imamura gained over 53,000 signatures before closing on January 13.[5]

On January 14, AKS issued an apology and later confirmed that a member had shared information after being accosted by the men, but they also stated that "nothing illegal" had happened.[13] On the same day, Imamura was transferred to AKS' Tokyo headquarters and was replaced by Maiko Hayakawa; AKS explained they chose Hayakawa because as a woman she would understand the members better.[13][14] Alarms and counseling services were provided to NGT48 members.[8][15]

Investigation[]

On January 31, NGT48 management announced the formation of an independent third-party committee (consisting of a lawyers from Iwasaki Law, Akasaka Mori no Ki Law, and Shinwa Law) to investigate the causes of the incident and whether other NGT48 members had been involved.[16][17][18] On March 21, 2019, their report was released on NGT48's website, which concluded that, while up to 12 members were alleged to have fraternized with fans, NGT48 members were not implicated as no criminal conspiracy was found.[19] The incident was caused by the "excessive behavior from some fans",[20] and aggravated by the poor civil infrastructure of Niigata which made group members relatively easy to locate.[21][22]

The report also commented on the closeness between fans and group members. It noted that group members had been accosted by an accomplice of the two main assailants, and revealed details about the activities of many other members; that members had met individually with that man before; and that the assailants had been renting apartments in three other building complexes across Niigata in order to meet with other members who lived in those buildings. The report also contained quotes from an audio recording from the day of the incident; when Yamaguchi and an AKS staff member questioned the suspect, one assailant said they knew of the address of Yamaguchi's apartment from other group members.[19]

On March 22, 2019, board members and managers from AKS, the talent agency that managed NGT48, held a press conference outlining the report's conclusions. Yamaguchi criticized the outcome live on Twitter, and categorically denied the claims made by Matsumura, AKS's board member.[23] To his initial decision to give a pardon to all members who had had personal associations with fans,[24] Yamaguchi said that he had told her the investigation was to identify the members fraternizing with fans and that those members would be fired,[25][24][26] and said Matsumura had downplayed those interactions by saying it was "greetings", when in reality included intimate affairs with the assailants.[27][20][28][29] Yamaguchi claimed that Matsumura had pressured her to apologize in January 2019 and she had eventually done so to ensure that the other members would not have to apologize in her stead.[25][27]

After the NGT48's management dissolved the team structure, at the end of Team G's final theater show on April 21, 2019, Yamaguchi, Rena Hasegawa, and Riko Sugahara announced their withdrawal from NGT48.[30][31] There, Yamaguchi spoke of how the AKS president accused her of being an "assailant against the company", and, referencing the management's decision, she stated that she could no longer stay "in a group where you will receive a pardon for anything".[30] AKS did not comment on her claim but maintained that the decision to leave was her own.[32] Rino Sashihara attempted to discuss Yamaguchi's situation with AKS founder Yasushi Akimoto, but she claimed that he is no longer part of the administration and is only involved as the creative producer.[33] A farewell theater show was held on May 18: initially announced to feature solely Yamaguchi, Sugahara, and Hasegawa,[34] seven other members made a voluntary guest appearance as a gesture of solidarity,[35] with producer Akimoto also writing a song for the occasion.[35]

Lawsuit[]

On April 30, 2019, AKS filed a lawsuit against Yamaguchi's assailants[36] asking for 30 million yen, claiming the assault had disrupted NGT48 events and caused 100 million yen in economic damages in addition to damaging the trust between members and agency; it also included a transcript of a recorded conversation between Yamaguchi, staff members, and the two men, in which they alleged that they were associating with 8 members in NGT48.[37] At a press scrum on July 10, AKS' attorney Kazuhiro Endo claimed the point of the lawsuit was not money, but to uncover truth and use the results to prevent a reoccurrence.[38]

Oral proceedings began on July 10, 2019,[39] and on September 20 the two men denied having committed physical aggression, while alleging Yamaguchi willingly disclosed her personal information and address to the first defendant at a handshake event in 2017, so he could send gifts discreetly to her home.[40] On October 28 the Niigata District Court held a hearing where the AKS attorney said that the defendants submitted evidence of their connection to Yamaguchi while denying that other NGT48 members were involved in their confrontation.[41]

On October 30, 2019, Sports Nippon published photos they said depicted Yamaguchi and one of the assailants communicating their apartment numbers to each other with hand signals at a group's photo-op event.[42] On Twitter, Yamaguchi rejected the news as "slander" and said the photos were the evidences presented in court days before and then leaked to the media; she said these were simply poses requested by fans, a common occurrence at such events. She also mentioned there were unreleased voice recordings containing current NGT48 members admitting to having private relationships with a group of people which included the assailants.[43][44] AKS denied that their side was responsible for leaking the material to the press,[45] as did the defendants.[46]

In order to verify the claims made by the defendants at the trial, in the months of November 2019 and January 2020 AKS sent requests to the police to obtain the statement reports, cellphone inspection data, and other investigation papers related to the assailants. Likewise, requests were also sent to the prosecutor to obtain the incident's non-prosecution records, to which Yamaguchi also attached her consent.[47][48] All requests were however rejected.[49]

After the courthouse proposed an out-of-court settlement to the plaintiff and the defendants on March 3, 2020,[49] the trial eventually ended in a settlement on April 9, 2020, without reaching a verdict from the judge and falling short of its stated goal.[50][51] The two men agreed to pay ¥2.4 million in compensation within five years,[52] and were banned from future events related to the AKB48 Groups, though AKS had said in January 2019 that they were already banned from attending NGT48's concerts and events.[53] Endo claimed that the NGT48 members were not guilty of being accomplices to the suspects and their reactions towards Yamaguchi had been a result of miscommunication.[54]

Reactions[]

Public response[]

Yamaguchi's initial public apology sparked criticism over victim blaming and the management's negligence from domestic and international communities,[13][5] including other 48 Group members such as Rino Sashihara, Akari Suda, and Yuki Kashiwagi[55][56][57][58] and celebrities.[59] Several companies withdrew sponsorships afterwards.[60][31] During a press conference on March 29, 2019, the city of Niigata announced that they were cutting ties with NGT48 effective April,[61] including ending their radio show, "Port de NGT."[62] After Yamaguchi announced she was leaving the group, more sponsors began to pull out from NGT48, including the fashion brand Heather.[63]

NGT48's response[]

On February 3, 2019, Team G members Rena Hasegawa, Riko Sugahara, and Fuka Murakumo removed "NGT48" from their social media profiles in solidarity with Yamaguchi.[64]

On March 7, 2019, AKS announced Etsuro Imamura's dismissal from the management and Takahiro Hosoi's resignation as AKB48 theater manager for inappropriate behavior in midst of the committee's examination, after in a tweet former AKB48 manager Tomonobu Togasaki showed themselves enjoying a drink at a bar, while posting "Everyone, don't be fooled by these worthless reports".[65]

On April 11, 2019, after apologizing to the Niigata government for mishandling Yamaguchi's assault allegations, the official NGT48 website announced that the management was dissolving the team structure and reintroducing the current members as a unified "first generation" after their final performances on April 21.[66][67]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "ＮＧＴ山口さん 、男2人から暴行". (in Japanese). January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Archived original January 8, 2019 tweets (now deleted)
  3. ^ "ＮＧＴ山口真帆「男２人に襲われました」 自宅にファンが押しかける". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). January 9, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "「ＮＧＴ48」メンバーの自宅に男２人が押しかけトラブル 新潟". NHK (in Japanese). January 9, 2019. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e Jozuka, Eriko; Yakatsuki, Yoko (January 16, 2019). "Why a pop idol's stand against her assault sparked outrage in Japan". CNN. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  6. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (January 15, 2019). "Japanese Pop Idol Apologizes After Being Allegedly Attacked". Kotaku. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "「暴行被害者がなぜ謝罪」 ＮＧＴ運営会社に批判集中". Asahi Shinbun (in Japanese). January 17, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Tanaka, Chisato (January 11, 2019). "Outrage erupts online in Japan after assaulted NGT48 pop idol apologizes for 'causing trouble'". The Japan Times. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  9. ^ Nakamura, Ryutaro (January 22, 2019). "ＮＧＴ４８山口真帆暴行被害 「隠蔽」「謝罪」…運営側の大失態に失望と憤り". Zakzak (in Japanese). Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  10. ^ "ＮＧＴ４８寮全員退去 新潟知事「早く正常な状態に戻ってほしい」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). January 17, 2019.
  11. ^ "山口真帆 暴行被害５つの「なぜ」 騒動謝罪から一夜、広がる波紋". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). January 12, 2019.
  12. ^ "ファン動揺 運営側の対応に批判も". (in Japanese). January 9, 2019. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Assaulted NGT48 idol's apology sparks calls for justice". South China Morning Post. January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  14. ^ "ＮＧＴ４８劇場・今村前支配人の異動先判明 運営会社・ＡＫＳの東京本社に". MyNavi News (in Japanese). January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  15. ^ "NGT48「山口真帆」暴行事件、スタッフの"情報統制"に騙されたスポーツ紙". Daily Shincho via Yahoo! News Japan (in Japanese). January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  16. ^ "ＮＧＴ暴行問題、第三者委を設置 調査は１カ月半、事件の背景も対象". (in Japanese). February 1, 2019. Archived from the original on February 8, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "第三者委員会の設置に関するお知らせ". NGT48 Management (in Japanese). February 1, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  18. ^ "AKB48劇場支配人の退任＆NGT48元支配人の契約解除発表". Model Press (in Japanese). March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  19. ^ a b "これで再発防止ができるのか? 疑問だらけのNGT48 第三者調査委員会報告とAKS会見。". Yahoo! News (in Japanese). March 24, 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Assaulted member of AKB48 spinoff criticizes results of AKS probe as 'lies'". The Japan Times. March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  21. ^ NGT48第三者委員会調査報告書, March 21, 2019
  22. ^ "「謝罪を要求されました」 NGT48山口真帆と運営側の"食い違い" 会見へのリアルタイム反論でコミュニケーション不足が浮き彫りに". NetLabo (in Japanese). March 22, 2019.
  23. ^ Yoshikawa, Kei (March 22, 2019). "「なんで嘘ばかりつくんでしょうか」NGT48山口真帆さん、AKS運営の会見中に反論ツイート". BuzzFeed Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  24. ^ a b "松村氏「メンバーの風紀の乱れ全般は不問に」". (in Japanese). March 22, 2019.
  25. ^ a b "ＮＧＴ山口真帆、ＡＫＳ会見中に"暴露"ツイート「松村取締役に謝罪を要求されました」". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). March 22, 2019.
  26. ^ Yamaguchi, Maho [@maho_yamaguchi] (March 22, 2019). "只今、記者会見を行っている松村匠取締役は第三者委員会が行われる前に「繋がっているメンバーを全員解雇する」と私に約束しました。 その為の第三者委員会だと、 私も今までずっと耐えてきました。コミュニケーションも何も、このことに関して聞くと連絡が返ってきません。" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 22, 2019 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ a b "ＮＧＴ山口真帆が再々ツイート「松村取締役が当初言うように考えた文章」公開". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). March 22, 2019.
  28. ^ "井上公造氏、ＮＧＴ暴行事件で見解「この状態で山口さんに戻れというのは酷すぎる」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  29. ^ "NGT48暴行事件 第三者委報告を説明(全文8)つながりの濃淡は把握していない". (in Japanese). March 22, 2019.
  30. ^ a b "NGT48山口真帆、卒業発表「このグループに変わってほしかった」【コメント全文】". Oricon (in Japanese). April 21, 2019.
  31. ^ a b Komatsu, Ryujiro (April 22, 2019). "Member leaving idol group, upset about handling of assault case". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  32. ^ "Controversy after idol quits NGT48 over management's handling of assault case". Mainichi Shimbun. April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  33. ^ "指原莉乃、ＮＧＴ山口問題現状語る 秋元Ｐに相談も". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  34. ^ "NGT山口真帆　3人だけの卒業公演濃厚　前代未聞の花道に". Sponichi (in Japanese). April 23, 2019.
  35. ^ a b Hoshi, Tatsuo (May 24, 2019). "決別のセレモニー　山口真帆ＮＧＴ卒業公演を見る". Niigata Nippo More (in Japanese).
  36. ^ "ＮＧＴ48公式サイトで山口真帆の写真は更新されず". Sponichi (in Japanese). May 1, 2019.
  37. ^ "ＮＧＴ暴行事件 賠償請求は3000万円". (in Japanese). July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  38. ^ "ＮＧＴ訴訟の最大の目的は「真相究明」 山口真帆ら出廷の可能性も". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). July 10, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  39. ^ "ＮＧＴ損害賠償訴訟、ＡＫＳ側弁護士が山口真帆を証人に呼ぶ可能性も". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). July 10, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  40. ^ "ＮＧＴ４８暴行事件でファン男性側「山口さんとつながり」と主張 損賠訴訟". Sankei Shinbun (in Japanese). September 24, 2019.
  41. ^ "ＮＧＴ４８暴行事件で被告男性が山口真帆との"つながり"物的証拠を提出". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  42. ^ "元NGT山口真帆と襲撃男ツーショット独占入手!関係性示す証拠写真". Sponichi (in Japanese). October 30, 2019.
  43. ^ "山口真帆「名誉毀損すぎる」加害者との"つながり写真"報道に強い不快感…現役メンバーの私的交流証拠音声所持も示唆". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). October 30, 2019.
  44. ^ "山口真帆"関係性示す証拠写真"に憤慨「名誉毀損すぎる」". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). October 30, 2019.
  45. ^ "山口真帆が"証拠写真"報道否定「名誉毀損すぎる」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). October 30, 2019.
  46. ^ "元ＮＧＴ４８山口真帆さん暴行裁判は新証拠出ず 社名を変えたＡＫＳは長期化の構え 「和解の動きはない」". Excite News (in Japanese). January 29, 2020.
  47. ^ "被告の供述調書 ＡＫＳ側が開示要請". (in Japanese). November 26, 2019.
  48. ^ "ＡＫＳ、山口真帆との"共闘"を明かす 不起訴記録の開示求め初めて合意". Daily Sports (in Japanese). January 26, 2020.
  49. ^ a b "ＮＧＴ４８裁判 地裁が和解提案 ＡＫＳは山口さん証人申請断念". Sankei Shinbun (in Japanese). March 2, 2020.
  50. ^ "NGT48裁判和解 AKS側弁護士、他メンバーの潔白証明で「一定の成果は勝ち取れた」". Sponichi (in Japanese). April 8, 2019.
  51. ^ "「ドア引っ張り合う形」暴行認定はグレーゾーン、他メンバー関与なし…"NGT48裁判"は不完全燃焼の和解". Chunichi (in Japanese). April 8, 2019.
  52. ^ "ＮＧＴ４８民事裁判 男性ファン２人の謝罪文全文、損害賠償は２４０万円". Sankei Shinbun (in Japanese). April 15, 2020.
  53. ^ "ＮＧＴ山口真帆を暴行のファングループ出禁…１８日・ＡＫＢグループ「リクエストアワー」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). January 19, 2019.
  54. ^ "元ＮＧＴ４８・山口真帆への暴行裁判が和解決着「被告側が上手だった」との分析も". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  55. ^ "指原莉乃「私もつけられたことがあったし、自宅はバレていた」恐怖体験を明かす". Oricon (in Japanese). January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  56. ^ "指原莉乃、一番の問題は"運営の体制"「誰が仕切っているのか分からない」". Oricon (in Japanese). January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  57. ^ "須田亜香里「誰かが辞めたらハッピーエンドでもない」暴行騒動へ心境を吐露". Oricon (in Japanese). January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  58. ^ "NGT48柏木由紀、山口真帆暴行騒動「自分が情けない」 ファンに謝罪". MyNavi News (in Japanese). January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  59. ^ "近藤春菜、暴行被害･山口真帆へのNGT運営の対応批判「ひどすぎる」". MyNavi News (in Japanese). January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  60. ^ "NGT山口の暴行被害で各所に余波 『一正蒲鉾』CM中止、『Z会』から異例の声明も". Oricon (in Japanese). January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  61. ^ "騒動渦中NGT48 今度はFM番組が終了…劇場4月前半は休館日 4月のスケジュール"真っ白"に". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  62. ^ "ＮＧＴ４８、冠レギュラー"消滅"…新潟のＦＭ番組「ＰＯＲＴ ＤＥ－」最終回". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  63. ^ "ＮＧＴ荻野由佳をモデル起用のプロモーション中止". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 24, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  64. ^ "山口真帆ら「ＮＧＴ48」表記消えた ファンも心配" [Maho Yamaguchi removes "NGT48" from her profile, fans worry]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). February 3, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  65. ^ "AKB48劇場支配人・細井孝宏氏が退任 NGT48めぐりSNSに不適切な投稿". Oricon (in Japanese). March 7, 2019.
  66. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 11, 2019). "NGT48 Idol Group Dissolves Current Teams, 'Restarts' With New Members". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  67. ^ "NGT48、チーム制度取りやめを発表「1期生と研究生として再スタート」". Oricon (in Japanese). April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.

Bold text

Retrieved from ""