TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese entertainment company that has acknowledged its founder sexually assaulted hundreds of boys over the span of half a century, took a new name on Monday: Smile-Up. Higashiyama, tapped last month to head the old Johnny’s, will now be president of both Smile-Up and the new company. “All things with the Johnny’s name will have to go,” Higashiyama told reporters at a Tokyo hotel. Payments will begin next month, Higashiyama said. That causes great pain to the victims,” said Junya Hiramoto, who heads a group of Johnny’s victims.

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Persons: Noriyuki Higashiyama, Johnny’s, ” Higashiyama, “, Johnny Kitagawa, Higashiyama, Kitagawa’s, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Fujishima, ”, Mary, Kitagawa, Johnny, Yoshihito Kawakami, Junya Hiramoto, Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Johnny, Associates, Johnny’s, BBC, Johnny & Associates, Associated Press Locations: Tokyo, Johnny’s, Japan