A 17-year old idol was caught in a hotel room with a male fan of hers.
In March of 2013, a Japanese trainee signed a contract with her management company. She joined an unnamed six-member girl group who held their first public performance four months after.
Though they were not a famous group, they followed a standard idol contract which included a ban on relationships. Part of this was a clause that prohibited the members from being in contact with the opposite sex for romantic or sexual purposes.
The idol, however, took a chance and attempted to sneak behind her agency’s back. She accepted the invitation of a male fan to come with him to his hotel room, something the company somehow found out about.
They filed a lawsuit seeking damages for breach of contract. The idol’s lawyers defended her by stating that being in a relationship did not stop her from carrying out her duties as a singer.
Refraining from such relationships is not an absolutely essential part of being an idol.
— J-Pop Idol
On September 18, 2015, Tokyo District Court Judge Akimoto Kojima ruled in favor of the company. He stated that “being discovered to be in a relationship worsened her image as an idol,” and thus affected the sales of the agency.
In order to secure the financial support of male fans, a clause prohibiting relationships was necessary.
— Judge
The J-Pop idol was ordered her to pay damages of 650,000 yen ($4,500 USD) to cover the stage costumes she wore to performances and the music and dance lessons she received as a trainee.
Japanese teens being taught how to dance | Chunichi Simbun
This is not the first time an idol agency tried to sue their artist for being in a relationship. Read more about it below.
