39-year-old singer and music producer Mitsuhiro Hidaka accused of receiving late-night visits from 17-year-old idol

The Japanese music industry was rocked on Friday by the publication of a scoop by the tabloid Weekly Post alleging that singer and producer Mitsuhiro Hidaka has received nighttime visits from an underage idol to his home.

The 39-year-old Hidaka is a rapper, actor, dancer, and member of the J-pop group AAA, and also works as a solo artist under the name Sky-Hi. He is also president of the entertainment production company BMSG, which represents many famous idols.

Weekly Post has learned that Hidaka repeatedly “summoned” an underage idol to his home late at night.

Sadly, it should come as a surprise to no one that the music idol world is full of predators who use their power and influence to exploit underage girls. Much like the casting couch practices rampant in modeling and gravure, we continue to hear cautionary tales about grooming and abuse of teenagers. Such abuse scandals include very famous singers and celebrities, like the former member of Tokio, Tatsuya Yamaguchi, in 2017.

In the case, Hidaka’s alleged victim was 17 years old, who Hidaka summoned to his home in a luxury apartment building in the expensive Minato district of Tokyo. She is a high school student who is also working as an idol with a private agency, and her involvement with Hidaka may date back to summer 2023.

The scandal might have repercussions for the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, the music show broadcast on New Year’s Eve, because Hidaka produces BE:FIRST and HANA, which are set to perform.

It also shines a light on audition processes and grooming, with BMSG having produced the audition show that created BE:FIRST. Was Hidaka attracted to such a producer role because he enjoyed the power it gave him over young talent?

The high schooler allegedly began visiting Hidaka’s home late at night shortly after he first contacted her in 2023. Weekly Post has obtained LINE messages that the pair exchanged, and which she shared with a friend, who subsequently leaked them to the media out of concern for her friend.

According to the messages, Hidaka would call the unnamed teenager to his home after midnight, and then send her home shortly afterwards.

He would praise her in his messages with phrases like “You’re so cute I could die,” “You’re my type, it hurts,” and “I love you so much.”

Weekly Post include a comment from a lawyer: “Taking out or keeping a minor under the age of 18 late at night without parental consent or a legitimate reason violates the youth protection and development ordinances of many local governments. If Tokyo’s ordinance applies, it could be a violation of the ordinance if there is no legitimate reason such as an emergency for taking them out late at night.”

It seems that her parents were aware of what her nocturnal visits but did not approve. Weekly Post spoke to her mother, who responded: “I’m not excusing her. I knew nothing about the November visit. In fact, I repeatedly told my daughter not to meet Hidaka again so as not to cause him any trouble, and she even promised to do so.”

On the November visit, the girl’s father came to pick her up at the nearest station, but she had walked home alone. On another day, a LINE message also showed that Hidaka had called a taxi to her home and let her go home alone when she was returning late at night.

Hidaka has issued an apology and tepid explanation. “It is true that we met at my home-cum-studio, and it is only natural that people have pointed out that my actions were reckless and misleading,” he said. “Even if the meeting was necessary, it was an extremely unreasonable time to meet with a minor, and I regret my significant lack of consideration.”

Regarding guardian permission, he said: “Initially, I met with her mother. Since then, whenever she came, her father would drive her to and from my home, so I assumed that permission was obtained.”

Hidaka is a regular face on Japanese television and has previously been linked romantically to Silent Siren keyboardist Yukako Kurosaka.

A followup report will be published in the December 22 issue of Weekly Post, suggesting more explosive revelations to come.