Explaining Fuji Executives Resignation Amid Scandal Fallout

In a historic ten-hour press conference, Fuji Television (Fuji TV) and its parent company, Fuji Media Holdings (FMH) responded to allegations that they did not report a sexual assault after learning of the accusation.

Fuji TV President Koichi Minato and FMH Chairman Shuji Kanoh announced their resignations at a January 27 press conference on the issue. "Due to the company's lack of awareness of human rights, we were not able to provide sufficient care. I would like to offer my sincerest apology to the woman who was involved," said Kanoh. 

"It's a case where a breach of human rights might have occurred. I didn't share the relevant information with the correct people. It was a failure on my part in not knowing enough about human rights," said Minato. 

The incident involving an employee and well-known entertainer Masahiro Nakai took place in June 2023. Minato admitted learning about it in August and failing to share the information with the company's compliance section. 

The network was widely criticized for continuing to employ Nakai for over a year following the incident. Responding, Minato argued that they prioritized avoiding changes that would breach the woman's privacy. 

Attention was heightened due to the Johnny Kitagawa case involving sexual misconduct which became public in 2023, several years after his death. Those revelations prompted the dissolution of his talent agency, Johnny and Associates. SMAP, Nakai's former band, was one of the creations of Kitagawa's talent agency. 

Fuji TV claimed to be in a third-party position in the case since it was not present when the incident occurred. However, in a typical fashion of press conferences by companies involved in a scandal, the executives apologized and bowed their heads several times, expressing their regret to shareholders and viewers. 

What Was the Incident?

Since December 2024, magazines such as Josei Seven and Shukan Bunshun have reported that the former SMAP band member had "trouble" with a Fuji TV employee, suggesting it might be a sexual assault. Answers from the January 27 Fuji TV press conference added to the known details about the incident. 

• June 2023: The alleged sexual assault happened in June 2023. According to the magazine Shukan Bunshun, Nakai invited a Fuji TV employee to a party. In the end, he and the Fuji TV employee were the only participants.
• Some short time afterward, a colleague noticed the woman's behavior was unusual. When they asked, the colleague was told about the incident. Prioritizing the victim's privacy, Fuji TV explained that the information was shared with only a small group of people. 
• July 2023: It first became apparent that Nakai and the Fuji TV employee involved disagreed on what happened in the incident. (Later Nakai reached a private settlement with the Fuji TV employee.) 
• August 2023: Fuji TV President Minato acknowledges he was first informed about the incident in August 2023. 
• From August 2023 to December 2024, Nakai continued his activities as a contract TV host for a Fuji TV program. 
• In the intervening months, Minato explained that the woman involved sought treatment but struggled to return to work, and eventually left the company. 
• December 2024: Fuji TV ends its employment of Nakai. 

How Fuji TV Dealt with the Incident

Minato reported that after learning about the incident, the employee's doctor was also consulted. "We judged that it would best to avoid hurting her further, or that Nakai himself might get in touch with her." The Fuji TV president also shared that another employee familiar with the matter stayed in touch with the victim as she sought medical help. 

At the same time, Minato admitted that there were other ways that the TV host could have been phased out even sooner. "I regret that Nakai's program was not ended sooner," "I would like to meet her [the victim], and apologize in person." 

Responding to questions about whether Fuji TV employees were involved in enabling the incident, Minato was firm. He unequivocally denied other employee involvement, saying that an internal investigation had not revealed any such information. Fuji TV Vice Chairman Endo added: "We will refer further findings to the third-party committee." 

Heightened Attention

On TV and online, all eyes were on the Fuji TV press conference on January 27. That evening, the hashtag #Fuji TV was trending on X with over 770 thousand posts. 

Journalists and cameramen lined up hours before it started, and had their bags checked at entry. There were 437 reporters and 191 media outlets present at the press conference, which started as scheduled at 4 PM and ran well into the early morning hours. 

The mood was unusually tense. A Fuji TV reporter prefaced his question expressing his own regret over the circumstances. Executives for the broadcaster and its parent company frequently said they couldn't answer questions because the content was directly related to the ongoing investigation.

A handful of vocal participants persistently offended the emcee and executives when they judged an answer to a question as insufficient. At times, the press conference descended into a lengthy shouting match. 

Mishandled Media Relations

Fuji TV also exacerbated the problem. It held an earlier January 17 press conference but limited press coverage. Access was allowed only to a limited pool of reporters and filming by TV stations was forbidden, for which Fuji received widespread criticism. 

On January 27, Minato admitted the previous press conference had been poorly handled. "It's not an exaggeration to say we ran away from the cameras. I am painfully aware that our behavior rocks the trust viewers have in our company." 

Lapses in Governance

Minato's judgment call of not consulting the appropriate parties in a timely fashion was a key theme at the press conference. 

He explained that Fuji TV does in fact have a Compliance Promotion Section, which in the past has successfully dealt with cases of harassment. 

However, "Because this case was unique, I made the call not to share the information with the compliance team. That was a mistake from the point of view of corporate governance," Minato stated.

According to a report by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Fuji TV's guidelines state that, in cases of harassment, an independent team will take charge of the case. The assumption is that this will ensure both confidentiality and impartiality. 

Changing the Company Culture

The lingering impression throughout the press conference was that of a company trying to catch up with the times. 

"If I think about it now, it might be the case that there are certain aspects of Showa (1926-1989) culture that remain," said Minato. 

When asked about the company culture, FMH President Osamu Kanemitsu said: "There are aspects that we are proud of, like the free-spirited work environment that fosters new ideas. But if there are negative aspects to change, we will address them." 

Fuji TV Starting Again from 'Zero'

Regarding the next steps, Endo confirmed that a third-party committee would investigate. It will take up the circumstances of the incident involving Nakai and the company's role, and announce recommendations at the end of March.

Endo painted it as a new step toward better transparency, accountability, and corporate governance going forward.

Kenji Shimizu, who replaced Minato on January 27, sought to reassure stakeholders of Fuji TV's new commitment. "We are taking very seriously the fact that we lost the faith of our viewers," he explained. "Fuji TV wants to create content that makes people happy, that contributes to society." "Human rights is at the base of that," he added. Concluding, he stated, "This is a start from zero."

Continuing Impacts:

• In the short term, several local reports say more than 70 companies are reconsidering their sponsorship agreements.
• The end of March also coincides with the end of the fiscal year and the deadline for the third-party committee report. Repercussions, positive or negative from the report are likely to impact Fuji TV's prospects.
• Other large events organized with Fuji TV could be affected. The Tokyo Odaiba Triennale 2025, which was scheduled for October in collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will likely not take place as planned, said Endo in the press conference.

This is a developing story raising significant issues of corporate governance and awareness of individual rights. Follow JAPAN Forward for further developments and updates.

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Author: Arielle Busetto