Dozens of major Japanese companies have pulled their commercials on Fuji Television amid allegations company officials tried to cover up a sex scandal involving one of the country’s most famous TV hosts.
The scandal centers on Masahiro Nakai, a former member of the super popular male band SMAP and now a popular host at Fuji and other Japanese networks. Nakai has been linked by local media to an alleged sexual assault at a party reportedly arranged by one of Fuji TV's staff.
After the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported in December a 90 million yen settlement between Nakai and a woman over the alleged sexual assault at a 2023 dinner party, the former SMAP star issued a statement acknowledging a settlement over “a trouble,” but he denied using any violence.
News of the scandal did not immediately trigger a flood of pullouts by sponsors. But many apparently started replacing their commercials with public service announcements after a news conference last Friday by Fuji TV that triggered criticism that the company was lacking transparency and contrition over the affair.
Major sponsors such as automakers Nissan Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp; cosmetics maker Shiseido; retailer Seven & I Holding Co and life insurer Meiji Yasuda announced they were pulling ads from Fuji TV. Local media reports said more than 50 companies had done the same.
Nissan said Tuesday that it had pulled its Fuji TV adds and was watching developments before deciding on further steps.
During Friday's news conference, Fuji TV President Koichi Minato apologized and acknowledged his company had not disclosed the problem despite becoming aware of it about six months before the Shukan Bunshun report. Minato said Fuji TV would investigate the case but also said he believed his employees had not done anything wrong.
Fuji TV apologized for causing trouble to many advertisers and agencies but declined to disclose details.
The latest edition of Shukan Bunshun cited an unnamed female Fuji announcer who alleged that the senior company official linked to the 2023 dinner party had arranged other similar parties for Nakai and Fuji TV.
Fuji only publicly announced the inquiry after one of its largest shareholders, Rising Sun Management, criticized the company and demanded a full investigation and appropriate action. Rising Sun is an affiliate of the U.S. investment management firm Dalton Investment.
Japan’s entertainment industry is in the midst of a wave of sexual assault cases, including massive abuses by the now-defunct talent agency Johnny & Associates, which managed SMAP and many other boy bands. In 2023, it admitted to sexual abuse against hundreds of boys and young men by its late founder, entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa.
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20 Comments
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BigP
Nissan removed its commercials. Why so sensitive? I don’t think it’s possible for Nissan to damage its reputation any more than it has.
Capuchin
Where was the conscience of all these companies when for decades it was an open secret that Kitagawa Johnny had been sexually assaulting underage boys?
obladi
Pull the ads. However, the problem with exclusively focusing on Nakai is the it obscures the systematic problem of sexual exploitation in the entertainment industry.
koiwaicoffee
Nobody has heard of these, but that's where the money (and power) is.
Does it mean that the USA investment firm has effective controlling power over Fuji TV?
Fighto!
Apologies are useless, no one cares.
The only way Fuji TV can survive is if they make a statement that Nakai has been banned for life from ever appearing on any TV show. Plus all of the top executives and board who were aware of the cover up need to be fired.
Even then, it may not be enough to save them. A TV company is dead without sponsors.
kurisupisu
Isn’t it a criminal act to assault someone in Japan?
Surely,
Mr Nakai should be on trial?
But as it’s only a woman then it doesn’t matter?
Japan in the 21st century looks gloomy…
USNinJapan2
Virtue signaling from sponsors who are now acting shocked to learn about something that's been endemic in the entertainment industry for decades.
WoodyLee
Boy, covering up doesn't work well these days, it did in the old days though but not anymore.
tamanegi
Dalton investments will surely demand a criminal investigation of this alleged rapist and sex fiend Nakai.
A public trial should be held if charged and a very long imprisonment with hard labor for this vermin should follow if found guilty.
kohakuebisu
This is progress, which is long overdue.
From what I recall, it was foreign sponsors who got Mori turfed out of the Olympics for his "women blather on in meetings" comments, not Japanese sponsors. Sexual assault/rape is obviously much worse than simple sexism, but this feels like a change. As WoodyLee suggests, Nakai and Fuji TV would have got away with it in the past.
itsonlyrocknroll
After the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported in December a 90 million yen settlement between Nakai and a woman over the alleged sexual assault at a 2023 dinner party, the former SMAP star issued a statement acknowledging a settlement over “a trouble,” but he denied using any violence.
Is this scandal evidence enough that a two tier system of justice is alive, continuing to thrive?
Where celebrity, aided and abetted by manipulation, a complicit TV broadcast network can allegedly evade criminal investigation by suborning witnesses victims though paid inducement?
virusrex
Hoping against all hope this is the end of Fuji TV, this is not the first (and likely not the last) similar scandal with this network.
u_s__reamer
The opportunities available to men confronted with the "temptations of Eve" are the pitfalls of stardom and when the flesh is weak you get "scandal".
dmhondz
Fuji TV is the biggest network in Japan with its massive station in Odaiba. I think it will survive this but must be more transparent with its handling of its talents and hosts. For many years they have used idols from Johnyy's turning a blind eye on SA allegations of the founder in exchange for the pull this talents have on their network profits.
grc
Capuchin - good question, pertinently asked. A great introduction to the Japanese culture of atokara and go-te go-te
enmaai
Yeah pull out the now ads now then reinstate when the heat go down.
Daniel Neagari
Well of course yes. And that is from a few years now (at least a decade or so). But this not only applies for FujiTV (and its parent company), but for many other Japanese compnaies too, Nissan is another one since someone mentioned in a comment before, other media companies (Yomiuri, Asahi, Nikkei), most of food and beverage companies (Asahi, Sapporo included) and so on.
My question is, how come the multinational invertors only mention their concern when this type of crimes come out to the light, but do nothing to prevent or change the culture beforehand?
7thPatriarch
For years there was contention at my house as Fuji tv's morning programming was my wife's go-to for starting off her day.
Aside from systemic Tabuse related issues, there was a consistent pattern of Fuji spending 30 seconds briefly touching on an important topic that affects everybody, and then 20 minutes dialled in on the horrific murder of a child. This is not news, it's poison.
For quite a while now my wife's habit is to start the day with music, so from her perspective this Nakai business has been the final nail in the coffin for her morning Fuji tv routine. The contention now is that music that does not exalt God is not music but one thing at a time eh?
Anyways, anyone that actually read Dalton's letter to Fuji knows that the sponsors pulled out because of the contents of the letter. I could only laugh how foolish Dalton would have to be to think the letter would protect "their company". To protect the investment, say nothing.
The more concerning matter now is that a foreign entity with a mere 7% stake can influence the direction of a Japanese company, especially one as public facing as news media. The broadcasting law limits foreign ownership of news companies to 20%, and long before this came to light Fuji was found to be at 30% due to legal circumvention.
Arigato for the Pandora's box.
Cephus
"After the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported in December a 90 million yen settlement between Nakai and a woman over the alleged sexual assault at a 2023 dinner party, the former SMAP star issued a statement acknowledging a settlement over “a trouble,” but he denied using any violence."
Violence in any form or shape is not acceptable in a civilized society. However, if Nakai San payed 90 million yen settlement, does he not deserve a refund since the payment didn't serve it's purpose?
virusrex
Why? do you believe he is in Jail because the victim accused him with the police for the abuse? Do you have any source that says the victim was the one that brought the story to the media? This seems suspiciously close to blaming the victim just because abuse can have consequences beyond legal ones.