The chairman and president of Fuji TV, one of Japan’s largest television networks, resigned following a sexual misconduct allegation involving a popular TV host. The network has faced a significant backlash, with numerous companies pulling their advertisements due to criticisms of how Fuji TV handled the scandal, including accusations of trying to cover it up.
Masahiro Nakai, a well-known TV personality, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a 2023 dinner party that was allegedly organized by Fuji TV staff. Nakai recently announced his retirement from show business.
The Japanese government has called on Fuji TV to regain public trust from both viewers and sponsors. During a press conference on Monday, Fuji TV’s chairman, Shuji Kano, and president, Koichi Minato, bowed and announced their resignations after an emergency board meeting. They apologized to viewers and stakeholders for the distress caused by the scandal, which has shaken Japan’s entertainment industry.
“I deeply feel the weight of my responsibility for undermining trust in the media,” said Mr. Minato, acknowledging flaws in the company’s response to the incident.
Previously, Mr. Minato admitted that the company was aware of the allegation soon after it occurred but chose not to disclose it, citing a focus on the woman’s recovery and privacy. It was later reported that Nakai paid the unnamed woman over half a million dollars to settle the matter, with additional allegations that a Fuji TV employee helped arrange the dinner.
Nakai, a former member of the popular boy band SMAP, has denied using violence against the woman and stated that the issue was resolved through a settlement. However, this did little to calm public outrage. Several companies, including car manufacturers Nissan and Toyota, pulled their advertisements from Fuji TV.
Rising Sun Management, the majority shareholder of Fuji TV’s parent company, issued an open letter criticizing the network’s corporate governance and highlighting serious flaws exposed by the scandal.
In response, Fuji TV has set up an independent committee to investigate the incident. Kenji Shimizu, the executive vice president who will take over as president, vowed to never tolerate human rights violations and to start fresh in preventing similar incidents in the future.
This month, Fuji TV also suspended a weekly show hosted by Nakai, and other major networks have followed suit by distancing themselves from him. Additionally, other TV networks have announced investigations into similar practices in the industry, after reports that celebrity-studded dinner parties like the one involving Nakai were common.