Fuji TV President’s Press Conference on Nakai Masahiro’s Apology Reveals Weak Crisis Management

“What do you mean by ‘copy of a copy’?”

Nakai Masahiro (52) was reported to have paid 90 million yen due to a women-related trouble. It was also reported that Fuji TV’s senior programming executive, A, was involved in the incident, leading Fuji TV President Koichi Minato (72) to hold an emergency press conference.

It has been pointed out that the company’s lack of crisis awareness is evident, as they waited nearly a month after the first report to hold a press conference, continued to feature Nakai despite being aware of the facts right after the incident, and never formally conducted a hearing with Nakai. However, what stands out in the press conference is Nakai’s apology statement.

On January 9th, Nakai uploaded an apology on the website of his personal agency “Nonbiri Nakai.” While admitting there was an incident, Nakai explained, “It is also true that a settlement was reached through both parties’ representatives and the matter has been resolved. I have sincerely faced and dealt with the other party’s proposal. Regarding this trouble, there was absolutely no violence, such as raising my hand, as reported in some media.”

However, the criticism for Nakai came from writing, “The settlement means that I can continue my entertainment activities without any hindrance,” which many considered as an unnecessary appeal.

Additionally, an IT journalist pointed out that there were further critiques of Nakai’s apology beyond the content of the message.

“People who accessed it via PC could see clearly that the apology had been created using Google Docs, and when the document was uploaded, the title was ‘0109’s Copy of a Copy.’ This indicates that the text had been copied twice from the original document.”

Immediately, voices of criticism flooded the internet.

“What’s with copy of a copy? Who wrote this for him? As a result, it’s causing even more of an uproar.”

“Why is ‘0109’s Copy of a Copy Google Document’ even the name? I don’t get it.”

“Nakai Masahiro’s apology letter. ‘Copy of a copy’, I wonder why the original digital file had to be copied twice? Did he edit it twice?”

Lousy IT literacy, low crisis awareness

The situation with Nakai’s trouble is that a settlement has been reached with the victim, and confidentiality is involved. It is a very sensitive matter, so it would have been necessary to go through confirmation and revision by relevant parties. However, the IT journalist points out that leaving the phrase “copy of a copy” was a problem.

“‘Copy of a copy’ can be confirmed through the file properties. The properties record attributes such as the creation date and update history of a file. It is also referred to as metadata. For example, for images or videos, location and time of capture are recorded. In the case of images or videos of public figures, there is a risk that third parties could identify their residences or places they visit. Metadata can be erased or edited. Nakai himself, as well as those around him, can hardly avoid criticism for their ‘low IT literacy and crisis management awareness.’”

By being too relaxed, a single talent’s scandal has developed into a scandal that shakes the television industry.