Japan’s leading talent agency, Johnny & Associates, is rebranded as Smile-Up, cutting ties with its founder amid sexual abuse allegations. The agency intends to compensate victims and wind down operations under this new identity.

Johnny & Associates fans submitted a petition, backed by 16,000 signatures, demanding an investigation into sexual abuse allegations against the late founder, Johnny Kitagawa. The agency has responded by pledging improved compliance and considering external consultation for former talent.

A fourth-grade Japanese girl will debut as the youngest professional player of the Asian board game “Go” when she turns 10 this spring, the Japan Go Association announced on Saturday. The girl, a resident of Osaka, said she wants to win a title while being in junior high school.

A Japanese 5th grader became the youngest world champion at the World Othello Championship in Prague on Friday. On his return flight to Japan, he was unexpectedly congratulated by the pilot, who revealed that he was the previous record holder.

Namie Amuro, a Japanese pop singer and fashion icon, delivered her final stage performance in Okinawa prefecture on Saturday night as fans flocked to the venue to bid her farewell. The 40-year-old diva announced last September that she would retire on September 16, 2018.

A Japanese TV program on New Year’s Eve has come under fire after a comedian showed up with his face painted black to impersonate Eddie Murphy. A US columnist argued on Twitter that black people were not a punchline nor a prop.