what a civil suit would have done for management if it had been filed in a timely manner is score points with the public. a headline stating aks to sue alleged assaulters would have looked a hell of a lot better than the ones we got regardless of the outcome
Maho has posted a pretty large statement on Twitter https://twitter.com/maho_yamaguchi/status/1121212299342012416
So on 2019-04-02, weeks ago. It's not a very strong statement but at least it's something. Aw that's cute. The two of you were made for each other.
Since it has already been pointed out, this is a fast translation of the latest tweet by Maho. As much as I'm not fond of posting it at the very bottom of the page, I'm just going to roll it out without any delay...: 卒業発表を終えて今の気持ちを改めて書きました。 読んでくださると嬉しいです。 https://twitter.com/maho_yamaguchi/status/1121212299342012416 After my graduation announcement, I decided to put down in writing my current sentiments once again. I'd be glad if you would read it. --- I, Yamaguchi Maho, am going to graduate from NGT48. I am truly sorry that I'll have to communicate about my graduation to all fans, I would have at least wanted to do it with a smile on my face, but the graduation of Rena and Riko, who had announced it before me, felt so mortifying, that I tried as best as I could to hold back my tears. I liked AKB48, as well as idols as a whole. At a time, I resented myself for having gotten to like idols, as I resented myself for having become an idol, after winning against my parent's opposition. I even wondered how I wouldn't have ended up living such feelings if I hadn't ever joined NGT48. However, right now I feel grateful for having been part of NGT48. The ones who supported me the entire time, standing by me, had been Rena, Riko, and Mofu. No matter what we'd get told, and by who, we are confident to be doing the right thing, this is what they felt as the defended me. I'm convinced, for sure, that if I had done anything incorrect, they would have felt enraged with every fiber of their body. There were no secret mutual interests involved, those were friends who carried the same sentiments and thoughts, and so even I could feel free to trust them. Moreover, I thought how much I'd want to go on to support them the same way as the three of them have provided me their support. If I hadn't gone on to join NGT48, I probably wouldn't have gotten to know true friends. That I could encounter such wonderful friends as this is a treasure to me indeed. And then, if I hadn't become part of NGT48 I wouldn't have ever been able to come across all the fans who had helped lift me up. All those fans who, to the point of sacrificing part of their own time, felt concerned about me as if it were about themselves. Even I, on my part, would stop to consider about all of such fans every single day. It felt regrettable to me that the last scene of me I showed to everyone kept being that of me as I apologized, back at that time. It's fine enough that I myself would be the one being hurt, instead of any other member, that's what I thought. But still, I also caused all fans to feel an extreme sense of sadness. For having showed you this spectacle of me, I'm sorry. For this reason, at the closing theater show, I thought I had to carry things out with a smile instead, down to the graduation announcement at the end, but in that image of myself which I saw the day after on the news, I couldn't manage to keep up a smile at all, and then, that scene of everyone crying is now left impressed in my mind as well. The only two other occasions left are the handshaked event, and the graduation stage. I want to make everyone of you smile. As much as I made everyone of you feel sad, for my last time, I want to have everyone rejoicing as much as possible. Just like everyone of you has helped lifting me up, so I'd like to then cheer up you all this time around. As a result of today's affair, even people who didn't know about me until now have found out about me. And there's also people who lamented they wished they would have learned about me in a rather different way. But nonetheless, harsh moments, painful moments, sad moments are all also part of my own life. No matter in what way it was, I am delighted to have got to meet with all of you. Thank you for having got to meet me as well. Even during the period I couldn't participate in activities, the messages, the photos, the drawings, and everything else, any of that was so heartfelt, it served as an encouragement for me. It has made me truly happy. I'm going to quit being an idol, unfortunately, but as one simple person, I'm determined to become a kind and strong-minded woman, one that may be loved once again by everyone. No matter if someone will talk behind my back, I want to live in a honest and upstanding way, headed along the path that I believed in. This time around, showing a cheerful image of me, I'll work toward my own dreams to instill in everyone courage and energy. I can't say "Please cheer on for me". But I'd be glad if you could keep watching patiently over me. Everyone of you are a treasure to me.
So she (understandably) doesn't want to continue to be a idol after graduation. But it would be a bit of a win for a (non-AKS) idol management company if they employed her into management, not as a manager but as support staff to specifically look after their members. Send her on a few courses on counselling and things like that so she has some relavent training and leverage her experiences in her favour. Probably be very good publicity for whoever employed her, initially at least but then allow her step out of the limelight, and it would be a bit of a **** you to AKS. Just a random thought...
In my opinion it would boil down to the amount of money they lost due to Mahohon not being able to perform her job as a result of the attack plus their legal expenses. They'd likely have a hard time arguing with physical injuries. Everything I've read so far only falls into the bruises category. Otherwise the prosecutor should have taken a stronger stance. Arguing with psychological damages would be more suitable, but these are difficult to asses. Also this would require an expert opinion. Usually the other side also comes up with expert opinion of their own which states the exact opposite. An interesting point is that the compensation AKS seeks would need to be disclosed. With this you could in theory guesstimate the revenue they make of a girl on Mahos popularity level. If Japanese civil law allows this, they could ask that this information remains confidential, but the other side would likely have to agree.
Baseless speculation ahead because I don't know what people can sue for in Japan. Reparations for damages AKS might try to argue were Maho's fault: Loss of sponsors (probably already in the millions of yen) Defamation Loss of work (all of NGT's shows and appearances being canceled) "Emotional trauma" to members due to possibly / actually losing their jobs (Ogino's agency could potentially file a separate suit) Probably a slew of other small charges I don't know if there is any legal basis for any of that, however, because Maho's culpability for these things would have to be proven first and that's a whole different rabbit hole. For all we know, she's retiring from the entertainment world because she's about to be handed a lawsuit that will take years to settle. In the eyes of most of the world, none of this was Maho's fault but rather AKS' fault for acting like idiots. In the eyes of the law and her contract that may be a different matter. I hope not, though.
Sasshi could have her as part of Ikorabu's staff, that would be lovely! Seeing that she's one whose priority is to protect her idols, having someone like Maho as support could be interesting. But I understand if Maho wants to stay away from it all regardless of how nice the work conditions are.
I'm not sure if were on the same page I was talking about an AKS vs. Assaulters lawsuit. An AKS vs. Maho lawsuit would be imo suicidal. But that's only another thing that doesn't make sense on top of the others, so why not.
Thank you @Cisalpine88 for the full translation. That letter is SO Maho I had to save it, so to read it again in future, perhaps when I'll need a bit of courage in life. I loved all of it, especially the importance Maho gives to Riko, Rena and Mofu's choice. Without that support system I don't know how Maho would have resisted - if she would have resisted - these months, surrounded by people who were openly against her or not brave enough to stand up for her. I fear she would have started to doubt herself, but those three protected her from any form of gaslighting; because who would risk so much, and give up so much in the end, if not sure they were doing the right thing? So much respect for every one of them. As for Maho, we have been sad for her and with her; we felt frustrated, angry, hopeless at times, but at the same time, I think she made us be a little more brave, a little more human. About her future, I also loved the end of her letter, she knows it's not gonna be easy from now on, but whatever she'll chose to do, a part of us will always watch over her since she has becaume a tresure to us. Even those of us that couldn't care less about idols and didn't know about her before. Sorry, I had to rant a bit after reading
Oh, I see. The assaulters have already been released of all charges so I wonder if any prosecutor would take on that suit, even if AKS does go after them. Japanese prosecutors are famous for only taking cases they think they can win. But didn't their poorly-researched report basically conclude that "they were just trying to talk to Maho" and that "she was exaggerating"?
A prosecutor is the plaintiff only in criminal cases. He does not get involved with civil cases. There the plaintiff is the party that sues (in this case AKS). However the ruling of a criminal court is of interest to a civil court and is in some cases a de-facto requirement to be somehow successful. In contrast AKS would not be the plaintiff in a criminal case. Some countries would allow them some kind of co-role i.e. allow them to subpoena and question witnesses... If Japan criminal law allows this, the criminal case could in theory be picked up again if a superior authority to the then prosecutor decides so. However this might require new evidence to show up in order to protect against double jeopardy. I don't know the exact wording of the 3rd party report, but if that's how it is written there then AKS chances in court are even slimmer. If your commissioned report says nothing happened and the prosecutor says there is not enough evidence it would likely only end up as a publicity stunt.
This is a photo of part of a train ad I’ve just spotted in Tokyo for Weekly Bunshun but is it a different publication? Does this give any clues?
'on-site recording tape', where it was recorded or who were involved were not given, though wild guess: one of the staff secretly recorded the discussion of ngt managers on how to 'deal' with the issue?
Sasshi has made a point of tweeting that all goods sold at her graduation concert are solely owned by Ohta Pro and not AKS. https://twitter.com/345__chan/status/1121245877807374336 She followed that by stating that she mentioned it so people wouldn't feel uneasy about who is getting their money. https://twitter.com/345__chan/status/1121246685928181760 So that is pretty big.
the japan entertainer rights association has released a statement regarding maho's graduation http://era-japan.org/archives/553