Fuji TV president resigns over handling of Masahiro Nakai scandal
- Hge News
- Jan 27
- 4 min read
Fuji TV President Koichi Minato and Chairman Shuji Kanoh announced on Monday that they will resign to take responsibility for how the broadcaster handled sexual misconduct allegations against former presenter Masahiro Nakai.
The decision came after an emergency board meeting held earlier in the day.
In a packed news conference that continued late into the evening, reporters raised questions about what actually happened, how Fuji TV dealt with the victim of the alleged nonconsensual sexual act, whether a staff member was involved, and whether there is a corporate culture of workers being forced to entertain celebrities. Fuji TV representatives declined to answer some questions, citing a pending investigation by a third-party committee.
In addition to Minato and Kanoh, who is also stepping down as chairman of the broadcaster’s parent company Fuji Media Holdings, the news conference featured Fuji TV Vice Chairman Ryunosuke Endo and Fuji Media Holdings President Osamu Kanemitsu.
“I believe that we, the management of Fuji Television Network, are responsible for bringing about this situation,” Kanoh said. “To take full responsibility, I have decided to resign as chairman of Fuji TV and Fuji Media Holdings, effective today. President of Fuji TV Koichi Minato will also be resigning.”
The news conference, which was held following a wave of criticism over the closed and limited nature of a previous briefing on Jan. 17, was open to all media, broadcast on Fuji TV and drew widespread attention. Starting at 4 p.m., it continued for over six hours, bumping previously scheduled programs as a result.
It was livestreamed on the Fuji TV website, with portions of it delayed by a few minutes in case any questioning revealed the identity of the victim.
I am also a subject of the investigation by the third-party committee. I will cooperate fully with the probe and make every effort to uncover the truth, prevent a recurrence and reform corporate culture,” Minato said. “Once again, I would like to apologize to our viewers and all of our business partners for any inconvenience or concern this series of news reports has caused.”
The third-party committee will be set up in line with the guidelines of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, although the probe initially did not meet those standards, prompting concerns about transparency as well as the panel’s independence.
Akira Takeuchi, a lawyer with a background in investigating fraud at major companies, will head the committee. The findings will be submitted around the end of March and will be made public.
The scandal first came to light through reports by weekly magazines Josei Seven and Shukan Bunshun last month, which alleged that during a dinner between
Nakai and the woman, a "sexual act against (the woman’s) will” took place. The dinner had been arranged between Nakai, a Fuji TV executive and the woman, but the executive deliberately backed out at the last minute so that the woman would be left alone with Nakai, according to the reports.
However, Fuji TV said on Monday that they still believe that the executive played no part in the incident, with the person having submitted evidence to back it up.
According to Fuji TV, Nakai has also said that the executive played no part.
Based on internal hearings, Fuji TV said that ahead of the dinner, a Fuji TV executive invited the woman to a barbecue party at his house with around 10 other people, as well as a private gathering — with other participating individuals — at a hotel afterward. However, the broadcaster said the exchange between the two will still be investigated by the third-party committee.
Nakai reportedly reached a settlement with the woman involved, giving her a lump sum of ¥90 million ($580,000 at current exchange rates). It is still unclear what happened between the two due to Nakai’s confidentiality agreement with her and Fuji TV maintaining its silence on that particular issue, citing privacy concerns.
The first news conference Minato held — ostensibly a regular monthly briefing — has been heavily criticized by many, including staffers within the company, given Fuji TV’s decision to restrict attendance to only those in the broadcasters’ press club and not allow livestreaming or video footage.
Minato apologized on Monday, saying that, as a broadcaster, it was unacceptable to have restricted video reporting of the news conference, but that it was his final decision to conduct the conference in this manner.
"It is undeniable that we have avoided being captured on video even though we have been pointing our video cameras at others when pursuing allegations,” he said. “We are painfully aware that we have shaken people’s trust in the media.”
The scandal and the response has put financial pressure on Fuji TV, with over 75 companies having withdrawn commercials from the network. Most advertising slots have been filled by public service announcements.
Kenji Shimizu, an executive at Fuji Media Holdings who will replace Minato as president starting Tuesday, said that its streaming site TVer has also seen withdrawals by advertisers.
Hisashi Hieda, a longtime executive of Fuji TV dubbed the “emperor” of the broadcaster, was not present at the news conference and has not stepped down.
The 87-year-old is considered one of the most influential people in the company’s decision-making process.
Nakai announced his retirement from the entertainment industry last week.
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