Society

Johnny Kitagawa suffers stroke

Jul 02 (tokyoreporter.com) - Johnny Kitagawa, the 87-year-old president of influential talent agency Johnny & Associates, was hospitalized after suffering a stroke last month, the agency said on Monday, reports Fuji News Network (July 1).

In a statement, the agency said that Kitagawa was sent by ambulance to a hospital at around 11:30 a.m. on June 18 after experiencing physical difficulties.

Doctors later said that he suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He is continuing to receive medical care, the agency said.

Born in Los Angeles, Kitagawa first produced the boy band Johnnyâ€™s. He was later responsible for the emergence of such groups as SMAP, KAT-TUN, Hey! Say! JUMP, Arashi and KinKi Kids.

Jun Matsumoto and the other four members of Arashi visited Kitagawa the day after he entered the hospital. â€œI am praying that Johnny-san will experience a full recovery as soon as possible,â€ Matsumoto was quoted by Kyodo News.

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