The Chairman and President of Japan’s Fuji Television, Shuji Kanoh and Koichi Minato, resigned on Monday, weeks after a sexual assault scandal involving celebrity presenter Masahiro Nakai rocked the company. The resignation came amid a public relations crisis, which included a mass exit of advertisers following the allegations.
A tabloid reported last month that Nakai, a former member of the J-pop group SMAP and now a prominent TV host, allegedly performed a sexual act without a woman’s consent in 2023. The woman reportedly received a payment of 90 million yen ($570,000) in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement. As the story broke, there were claims of attempts by Fuji TV staff to cover up the scandal, leading major advertisers like McDonald’s and Toyota to pull their ads from the network.
In response to mounting pressure, Kanoh publicly apologized. “I would like to sincerely apologize to the women concerned for failing to provide adequate care due to a lack of awareness of human rights,” he said, addressing the concerns of viewers, advertisers, and employees.
Earlier, Minato had admitted that Fuji TV had known about the Nakai scandal before it was reported by the media. However, the company denied allegations that its staff helped arrange the meeting between Nakai and the woman involved. Nakai, who had been dropped from Fuji TV and other networks, announced his retirement last week, taking full responsibility for the incident and offering an apology.
The case has sparked significant public debate in Japan, where issues of sexual misconduct have traditionally been less exposed compared to Western countries. While Japan has not seen a #MeToo movement of the scale seen in the United States, the Nakai scandal is part of a broader reckoning in the entertainment industry, which has also been grappling with past accusations of abuse, such as those involving the founder of Johnny & Associates, Johnny Kitagawa.
Despite the media frenzy surrounding Nakai, many Japanese outlets have been cautious in their coverage, with some referring to the allegations as “sexual trouble” or misconduct rather than assault. Reports have also suggested that the entertainment industry in Japan has a culture of wining and dining top presenters, with female staff often invited to such events.
Minato addressed the criticism of Fuji TV’s response to the scandal, acknowledging the damage to the network’s credibility. He revealed that he was under investigation by a third-party committee and pledged to cooperate fully to uncover the truth and prevent similar issues in the future. Fuji Television, once a dominant force in Japanese media with high viewership in the 1980s and 1990s, is now facing significant scrutiny and pressure to reform its corporate culture.
