The fallout of the Masahiro Nakai sexual misconduct scandal continues, with the president and chairman of Fuji TV resigning today to take responsibility for the network’s involvement in scandal. The scandal has placed Fuji TV under intense scrutiny, resulting in more than 70 Japanese companies suspending their commercials.
“Looking back, I realize there were shortcomings in our response, and I acknowledge my lack of awareness regarding human rights,” the outgoing president Minato Koichi said at a press conference which was attended by over 400 people. “I feel deeply the weight of my responsibility for undermining trust in the media.”
The company’s chairman, Kano Shuji, also resigned.
Fuji TV aired the press conference, which lasted for more than 10 hours. until after 2:20 AM, with no commercial breaks.
Minato said that while Fuji TV was aware of some “trouble” in June 2023 between Masahiro and the woman, it did not respond immediately, noting the woman’s desire to keep the matter discreet and return to work. The network did not investigate the matter, allowing Masahiro to continue appearing on its programs. Last week, he once again apologized to the woman, and then retired from the entertainment industry.
Fuji TV has also faced criticism for its response to the scandal. Its first press conference on the matter was held on January 17, with a limited number people in attendance and no filming allowed. The network was criticized for its initial hesitance to establish a third party investigation into the incident. While it did announce the launch of independent investigation last week, calls for top executives to resign grew within the network.
Minato has been replaced by Shimizu Kenji, executive vice president of Fuji TV parent company Fuji Media Holdings Incorporated. He pledged to “never tolerate acts that violate human rights” and committed to implementing measures to strengthen the company’s governance.
Fuji TV Vice Chairman Endo Ryunosuke said the new leadership change is “provisional”, adding that the responsibility among executives for the incident will be determined after the independent investigation wraps around the end of March.
Related to this, Shukan Bunshun reported that senior Fuji TV officials regularly had female employees entertain celebrities at gatherings, an issue the independent investigation is also expected to look into.
Regarding allegations that a Fuji TV employee was involved in arranging the meal between Nakai and the woman, network public relations head Ueno Yoichi said that the employee was not involved. He cited talks with both the employee and Nakai, as well as a review of the employee’s smartphone records.
Of the press conference, Kageyama Takahiko, media studies professor at Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, said it “made clear that the company had not made sufficient efforts to sincerely face the woman, understand her feelings and help her recover from the suffering.” He added, “The management’s evasive attitude during the question and answer session was also noticeable.”
