Toru Ota, a former chief of programming at Fuji Television Network Inc., said he continued hiring Masahiro Nakai despite learning early on about “trouble” between the celebrity and a woman at a dinner party.
Ota told a news conference in Osaka on Jan. 22 that on the day he learned of the incident in early June 2023, he informed Koichi Minato, president of Fuji Television.
“It was my decision,” Ota, now president of Kansai Television Co., said. “It was a very serious matter, and I was shocked.”
Ota, who was senior managing director of Fuji Television at the time, explained why he continued to use Nakai on the broadcaster’s programs.
“There was no conscious effort to protect Nakai, and I sought the best way to protect the woman” who did not want the incident to become public, he said.
But he added, “We may not have thought it through, and if that is the case, I am sorry and I must reflect on it.”
Nakai himself has apologized for all the “trouble” he has caused and retired from the entertainment industry on Jan. 23.
Corporate sponsors have withdrawn advertisements from Fuji Television since the scandal surfaced.
The fallout has also affected Fuji TV affiliates, such as Osaka-based Kansai Television.
Ota said Kansai Television, which produces nationally televised programs, had been asked by more than 30 companies to replace their commercials with advertisements from the Advertising Council of Japan, a public interest incorporated association.
“This is a very alarming situation,” Ota said.
The news conference was attended by about 50 people from 27 companies, including reporters of Kansai Television and TV crews.
Fuji Television and its parent company, Fuji Media Holdings Inc., are expected to hold an extraordinary meeting of their boards of directors on Jan. 23 to discuss the issue concerning Nakai and to pass a resolution to establish a third-party investigative committee.
Other broadcasters have announced investigations into whether inappropriate behavior has occurred between TV celebrities and their employees.
TV Asahi Corp. on Jan. 22 said it has been conducting a fact-finding survey on the issue since the beginning of the year.
The broadcaster said it has so far found no reports of inappropriate behavior at dinner meetings or other occasions.
TV Tokyo Corp. said on Jan. 22 it will start an internal investigation with the help of outside experts.
However, public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) has no plans for an internal investigation.
“I am aware of no whistleblowing or consultations (concerning inappropriate behavior),” NHK Chairman Nobuo Inaba said at a news conference.
Before Nakai’s retirement announcement, Fuji Television on Jan. 22 said it would end his regular program “Dareka to Nakai.”
TV Asahi on Jan. 22 also announced the discontinuation of the “Nakai Masahiro no Doyobinakai” show, saying it took into account viewer opinions and advertisers’ reactions.
“The environment is not conducive to the continuation of the program,” it said.
At least six TV and radio programs decided to drop Nakai or terminate his programs.
(This article was compiled from reports written by Shuya Iwamoto, Bunna Takizawa and others.)
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.asahi.com ’
