Fuji TV President Holds Emergency Press Conference as Sponsors Withdraw Over Masahiro Nakai Issue

Salesmen fretting over client desertion

Due to Masahiro Nakai’s (52) troubles with women, Fuji TV President Koichi Minato (72) was forced to hold an emergency press conference on January 17 in Tokyo. The press conference, which is usually held in February, was moved up. Behind this, there is said to be an irresistible circumstance.

“Please, enough already.”

Fuji TV’s advertising sales team is currently facing a tough situation.

The era when they were the unquestioned ratings leader is a distant memory. With the rise of new media, advertising revenues have been steadily declining. Amidst this, the additional blow of Nakai’s troubles with women struck.

In June of the previous year, Nakai was involved in a dispute with a woman in her 20s, referred to as Ms. X, and reportedly paid a settlement of 90 million yen through his representative.

On the 9th, Nakai released a statement on his company’s website, stating,

“It is a fact that the dispute was settled through both parties’ representatives, and the matter has been resolved.”

“With the settlement in place, there will be no hindrance to continuing my entertainment activities.”

However, it was too late. His six regular television and radio programs and two commercials were forced to be replaced or postponed.

“NTV’s ‘The! World Shocking News’ has finally announced Nakai’s departure. This is effectively a declaration that ‘you can no longer appear on TV.’ Other programs are likely to follow suit, either with Nakai’s departure or cancellation. Nakai will be ostracized from the television industry,” said a TV industry insider.

However, the entire series of events has escalated into a problem that goes beyond just Nakai.

U.S. investment fund calls for investigation by a third-party committee.

According to reports from Weekly Seven and Weekly Bunshun, it was Fuji’s programming executive A who indirectly arranged the dinner meeting between Ms. X and Nakai (Fuji has completely denied A’s involvement). Furthermore, in the January 16th edition of Weekly Bunshun, a woman, allegedly a Fuji female announcer, testified under a pseudonym:

“I too was offered by A.”

Like Ms. X, she was invited by A to a drinking party with Nakai and another celebrity, where things almost escalated into sexual trouble.

The situation, which raised suspicions of a female tribute system within Fuji, prompted action from Dalton Investments, a U.S. investment fund holding 7% of Fuji Media Holdings’ stock. They sent a letter to Fuji requesting an investigation by a third-party committee. The fund strongly criticized Fuji:

“It exposes serious flaws in Fuji’s corporate governance.”

“It not only undermines viewer trust but also directly leads to a decrease in shareholder value.”

Market sources also commented, “The investment fund is ultimately all about making money, so it’s dangerous to treat them like saints,” adding:

“The doubts about Fuji’s governance will not subside for some time. Immediate action was necessary before the situation escalates further.”

While it would still be within acceptable limits if some sponsors left Nakai’s programs or certain celebrities refused to appear with him, the situation now is far more serious: “Sponsors are withdrawing from Fuji TV.” The advertising department employee lamented:

“Since the end of last year, we’ve seen more clients hesitant to place ads. This means that Fuji as a whole is being viewed with suspicion. We are apologizing profusely to clients, but no detailed information is coming down from the top. We can’t explain things to clients because we lack the material.”

The Nikkan Sports on January 16th reported that about 30% of sponsors had withdrawn from Fuji due to the scandal.

Fuji has brought in external lawyers to conduct an investigation, but its effectiveness remains uncertain. Simply investigating the legality of the situation will not resolve the problem.

“What Fuji fears most right now is that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which oversees broadcasting, will intervene. Although they don’t expect to lose their broadcast license, the situation remains serious. President Minato will need to provide a satisfactory explanation,” said a sports newspaper TV reporter.

The station’s fate hinges on Minato’s words.