Masahiro Nakai’s Silence on ¥90 Million Issue: Lessons from the Johnny & Associates Era

It seems that the “star” is on the verge of extinction.

A trouble involving a settlement of 90 million yen has occurred between former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai (52) and a woman from the entertainment industry, known as X. The television industry is gradually withdrawing from Nakai.

The new year special of TBS’s Nakai Masahiro’s Friday Smile, which was scheduled for January 10, was replaced. The Dareka to Nakai program on Fuji TV, scheduled for January 12, was also replaced with a different show. In the first broadcast of the new year, Junichi Okada (44) was supposed to appear as the new MC, but that plan has been put on hold.

The news program Nakai Masahiro’s Saturday Meeting (on TV Asahi) that Nakai hosts was also scheduled for January 11, but instead of that program, Rare Guys Brought to You: Masterpiece Edition was aired.

On the other hand, Nakai Masahiro ON & ON AIR, the radio program he hosts on Nippon Broadcasting, aired as usual on January 4, and the The! World Astonishing News New Year’s 4-hour special on January 7, hosted by Nakai, is expected to air as scheduled.

“As for ‘Astonishing News,’ since the recording has already been done, it will air as planned. However, Japan Television announced that they would re-edit the broadcast to ensure Nakai doesn’t appear on-screen. They will manage to get by this time, but the next time could be unclear. There’s a possibility of cutbacks or even cancellation during the next programming shift. It will also cause a bad aftermath, especially for the senior comedian Shofukutei Tsurube, leading to a lot of trouble.

On the other hand, with radio programs, where Nakai must speak in his own words, continuing may be difficult. If the programs remain, there will be a group of people who will relentlessly lodge complaints with sponsors and broadcasters. The most painful thing for broadcasters is complaints from sponsors.” (TV industry insider)

The fact that a huge settlement fee of 90 million yen must be paid indicates that this is no ordinary scandal.

This trouble surrounding Nakai has been reported in weekly magazines, sports papers, and some local Kansai programs.

As Nakai has been disappearing from regular programs and commercials, many viewers may be wondering, “Why is this not being reported?”

Even though Nakai is a former SMAP member, a hugely popular idol, and a top-tier host, it seems that a single scandal has caused him significant damage in today’s era.

“If Johnny Kitagawa, the late president, and Mary Kitagawa, the late chairwoman, were still around, Nakai’s scandal might not have been as widely publicized,” says another TV industry insider.

 

The former Johnny’s had influence over TV stations and the commercial industry.

“The old Johnny’s Office had such strong influence over the media. Even when scandals involving Johnny’s talents were reported in weekly magazines, they were rarely covered by sports papers or variety shows at the time. Johnny’s Office had a huge influence across drama, movies, variety shows, music programs, commercials—basically everywhere.

Nakai now has his own agency, but if it were back in those days, there’s no doubt that the sports papers wouldn’t have reported it. In that case, television would have ignored it, and the situation would have been covered up and unscathed. If a television station had replaced his regular program, they would have been ‘cut off’ from Johnny’s Office,” says a TV industry insider.

In fact, 24 years ago, the monthly magazine Rumor Truth (which ceased publication in 2004) reported Nakai’s pregnancy and abortion scandal, but major media outlets ignored it. Likewise, when rumors of his romantic relationships surfaced, wide shows never touched on them.

“Perhaps Nakai was overly confident, taking the past for granted and becoming like ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes.’ He has posted an apology on a paid membership site, but his continued silence may suggest that he believes he can escape this situation. However, even if there was still the kind of power that Johnny’s Office once held, in today’s age of social media, there’s no way such a woman-related scandal could be suppressed,” says a variety show insider.

With more and more of Nakai’s programs and commercials being shelved, what kind of response will he show?