Earlier today, a number of major companies announced that they are following carmaker Toyota and suspending commercials on Fuji TV as the network faces scrutiny over its alleged involvement in Masahiro Nakai‘s sexual misconduct scandal. Following the lead of Japan’s largest carmaker are other companies such as carmaker Nissan, cosmetics company Kao, and Seven & i Holdings.
Of this course of action, Nissan said, “We are currently replacing commercials to the extent possible. As for the future, we will decide by closely watching the situation.”
Kao’s decision was made in line with the company’s policy on human rights. Going forward, the cosmetics maker said it “will make a comprehensive judgment” based on the results of Fuji TV’s investigation and other announcements.
Seven & i Holdings said the suspended commercials include those for its 7-Eleven convenience stores.
In response to the growing number of companies pulling their commercials off the air, Fuji TV said, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused to many advertisers and advertising agencies. We will refrain from disclosing details of our sales operations.”
In related news, Tokyo Broadcasting System announced today that it has decided to end Nakai’s program “Nakai Masahiro no Kinyoubi no Smiletachi e” after 23 years. TBS has also decided to replace him with another host on “THE MC3.” The network made this decision after discussions with both parties involved, and making a “comprehensive assessment of the situation.” TBS added that it has launched an internal investigation to determine whether similar suspected incidents have been committed by its employees, even though it has “not been aware of any issues so far.”
