Masahiro Nakai’s Apology Fails to Change Situation Amid Complaints from Sponsors

Masahiro Nakai issued an apology statement regarding the 9 million yen settlement female trouble that has caused controversy.

Nakai acknowledged the issue and stated that a settlement had been reached and the matter was resolved. However, a particular sentence in the statement has raised many questions and sparked controversy.

The sentence in question is:

“Due to the settlement being reached, there will be no hindrance to the continuation of my entertainment activities in the future.”

The TV stations did not expect the news to spread this far.

“We initially underestimated the situation.” 

Says an employee from a major TV network.

The report on Nakai’s female trouble emerged in December of last year. The media reported that the issue had already been resolved, with both Nakai and the woman involved remaining silent, leaving the details unclear. As a result, there was no visible ripple effect, and the TV networks’ responses were slow.

“At that stage, neither the network nor the program sponsors received any complaints, and we didn’t even question Nakai about the situation. There was no movement on how to handle the broadcast of the programs Nakai appeared on. We didn’t expect the story to spread, and we assumed it would end with just the reporting in women’s weekly magazines. Especially the higher-ups thought so,” says the same TV network employee.

However, when Weekly Bunshun followed up and published the details of the incident, including the victim’s emotional statement, the situation changed significantly.

There is, of course, a large gap between the entertainment industry, TV networks, and public perception.

“Even though the amount of 9 million yen reflects the seriousness of the matter, some of the older executives at the network were actually impressed, thinking, ‘To pay 9 million yen, Nakai must be a big deal.’ But many of the younger staff members foresaw that this was going to become a huge issue. Even if a settlement had been reached, ‘sexual trouble’ is not something that should be tolerated, and that’s the common sense now. Naturally, complaints have flooded in,” says another employee from a different major TV network that aired Nakai’s programs.

Complaints have also been sent to the sponsors.

 

Anger at Fuji TV felt by the victim woman

As a result, Nakai’s appearances on The World’s Most Astonishing News (NTV), Nakai Masahiro’s Saturday Night (TV Asahi), THE MC3, Nakai Masahiro’s Friday Smile (both TBS), Dareka to Nakai (Fuji TV), and his radio show Nakai Masahiro ON & ON AIR (Nippon Broadcasting) were all canceled, or if aired, his segments were completely cut. The same applied to commercials.

Reports have been circulating that Nakai is likely to fade out of the public eye.

“If Johnny’s Office still existed, the women’s weekly magazines wouldn’t have reported on this so aggressively, and the sports papers wouldn’t have been so eager to cover it. In a sense, the situation has become more normal,” says a TV network employee.

In today’s world, it is nearly impossible for a celebrity who has had a scandal, especially a sexual problem, to continue in the entertainment industry. The cases of Yuta Takahata, Hirofumi Arai, and Houka Kinoshita make that clear.

Some argue that Nakai should hold a press conference to explain, but it seems unlikely that would change the situation. Even if Nakai releases a statement and is pushed toward retirement, it doesn’t seem like the issue will end there.

Through interviews with Bunshun, it was revealed that the victim is even angrier at Fuji TV’s insincere response than at Nakai. Nakai’s statement includes the line:

“There was no involvement of any parties other than those directly involved in this trouble.”

However, based on the woman’s testimony, it seems likely that Fuji TV staff, though not directly involved, may have played an indirect role. Even now, as more details emerge, Fuji TV continues to maintain a stance of ignorance.

While it’s unlikely that Fuji TV will suddenly go out of business as the public might be clamoring for, if things continue as they are, it could lead to sponsors pulling away, which may accelerate its decline.