President of Johnny's successor company to step down at end of Sept.

TOKYO - The president of the Japanese talent agency previously known as Johnny & Associates Inc. said Monday he will step down when his term expires at the end of this month.

Noriyuki Higashiyama, who heads the company now renamed Smile-Up Inc., stressed that his departure "does not mean we are drawing a line" to providing redress to victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the agency's late founder Johnny Kitagawa.