Fuji TV Pledges to End Rampant Harassment After Outside Panel Report on Sex Scandal

One of Japan's largest broadcasters shares heavy responsibility in a sexual assault case that has engrossed the country. It involves a former pop idol turned presenter and a Fuji TV female announcer, according to an independent panel.

The attorney-led panel issued a rare public rebuke to Fuji TV, brushing aside executive claims that the case involving Masahiro Nakai, a former lead member of iconic Japanese boy band SMAP, was a private matter.

Sexual Violence Extension of Company Business

"The sexual violence occurred as an extension of company business," according to a report issued by the panel on March 31. The panel also sharply criticized the company culture that fostered and then tried to bury the incident.

"The company has a culture that tolerates in-house sexual harassment," Akira Takeuchi, the head of the committee, told reporters. He added that "some employees are in danger of harassment even as they do their jobs."

*Fuji TV President Kenji Shimizu holds a press conference following the third-party committee's release of its report on the Nakai sex scandal on March 31. (©Sankei by Takumi Kamoshida)*

Sexual Harassment Report Handled by Old Men

The public reprimand is the latest setback for Fuji TV around the 2023 sexual assault, which was first reported in a weekly magazine in December 2024. Company executives were aware of the issue after the female employee issued a formal complaint. However, they did not involve the company's compliance department and continued to feature Nakai in public programming even as the problem came to light.

The committee criticized the fact that only male executives made decisions throughout the period. It "could not help but be shocked that women similar to the victim were not involved, with only older men" making decisions. As examples of corporate complicity, it cited private details from company records. Those included expensing expensive hotel rooms for parties involving Nakai and the woman. Other details included offers by employees to try to placate her even after she was hospitalized for depression and eating disorders.

Harm from Taking the Side of Attacker

Company executives "may have inflicted secondary harm" on the woman by "taking Nakai's side," the panel wrote. This occurred through actions such as introducing Nakai to lawyers to defend himself and even delivering ¥1 million JPY ($6,700 USD) to the victim while she was hospitalized, according to the report.

Japanese media have covered the story closely. Advertisers have pulled commercials from Fuji TV's shows to distance themselves from the scandal, hurting its bottom line. The company has also been criticized as a news organization for actions such as not allowing live coverage of its own press conference.

Apologies and Promises to Change

In a press conference held after the release of the report, Fuji TV President Kenji Shimizu bowed and offered a direct apology to the woman for the suffering his company had caused her. He promised to revive trust in his company and said its shows would "never include celebrities that posed a risk of causing human rights violations."

Fuji TV has tried to revamp its image, promising reforms and reforming its management structure. Powerful executive Hisashi Hieda, who was on the corporate board for four decades, resigned. The company also said it would reduce its number of directors to speed decision-making, add younger executives, and increase its ratio of female directors.

Stock Market Applauds Report

In a more positive sign for Fuji TV, shares of parent firm Fuji Media Holdings surged as high as 7% in trading after the report was released. "Investors have judged that the report has firmly recognized the responsibility of management and has finally brought everything to light," said an observer at a mid-sized investment bank.

(Read a related article in Japanese.)

Authors: The Sankei Shimbun and Jay Alabaster for JAPAN Forward