Former Female Announcers’ Shocking Lookism Retaliation Linked to Female Announcer Entertaining

Nakai’s 90 million yen trouble brings into focus the entertainment of female TV announcers.

The January 15 issue of Shukan Bunshun Digital Edition has stirred up controversy with a new confession from a victim involved in the “900 million yen settlement” with celebrity Masahiro Nakai (52). A Fuji TV staff member who had arranged a drinking party with the victim, who later received the settlement, has claimed that they were also involved in other entertaining activities. The focus of this matter is the ongoing practice at TV networks of involving female announcers and staff in entertaining sponsors and talents at drinking parties.

Hiroshi Hasegawa (49), a former Fuji TV announcer who joined the network in April 1999 and resigned in June 2012, openly revealed the inner workings of the industry in an article published by the news site Pinzuba NEWS on December 27, 2023. He commented that entertaining has been happening regularly for decades, adding that to be honest, many female announcers were happy to attend dinner parties with popular talents. Afterward, they would hold a reporting session among their colleagues, sharing personal anecdotes from his time in the announcer’s department.

Fuji TV President Koichi Minato has scheduled a regular press conference for February 28, but this year, there will also be a media gathering on January 31 for a social event. This has led to a sense of urgency within the company, as some employees believe it would be better to hold the press conference sooner. Questions regarding both Nakai’s situation and the entertainment problem are expected to be raised at this gathering, and attention will be on how Minato handles these difficult topics and attempts to deflect them.

This issue is not limited to Fuji TV. Former female announcers from other stations have also shared their experiences with “entertaining” during their time at their respective networks. Miho Ohashi (46), who joined TV Tokyo in April 2002 and was an ace announcer until her departure in December 2017, spoke about the pressures of attending these events. During a live appearance on Goji ni Muchu! on TOKYO MX in November 2021, she reflected on her experiences: “During my salaryman days, I honestly thought it was tough,” she said, mentioning the challenges of dealing with harassment and power struggles. She also admitted that, at times, she felt like a sacrificial lamb, but tried to endure with the mindset that thanks to the salespeople, I was able to have a meal.

Finally, there were reports about Minami Tanaka (38), who was with TBS from April 2009 to September 2014 and is now active as an actress.