<figure id="attachment_409770" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4928px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409770"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f0d48264"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/acbc4fe413487991b2281f3d5470e5b6-3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409770" class="wp-caption-text">Masahiro Nakai failed to extinguish the fire in the early stages. Fuji TV is now in a situation where many sponsors are leaving.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>The true meaning of &#8220;Nakai&#8217;s comment,&#8221; which drew public disapproval</h2>
Masahiro Nakai (52)&#8217;s &#8220;900 million yen settlement&#8221; related to a woman trouble is not subsiding; rather, it is escalating.
When “Women’s Seven” reported on the issue last December, it was stated that Nakai had paid a settlement and reached an agreement, so many in the industry thought it wouldn&#8217;t become a major scandal. 
Initially, television networks didn&#8217;t report on the matter, but after Nakai issued a statement and acknowledged the facts, both commercial broadcasters and even NHK began covering the story in general news. Furthermore, the line from Nakai&#8217;s statement, which read:
&#8220;With the settlement being reached, I will be able to continue my entertainment activities without any issues,&#8221;
became controversial, drawing criticism online such as:
&#8220;Shameless. What is he thinking?&#8221; 
&#8220;Does he not have a proper team of advisors?&#8221;
According to a source from a wide-show program, 
&#8220;When things were in this state, Nakai likely had his own intentions behind including such a statement in his apology. He must have informed the TV stations he works with in advance about the weekly magazine article. Some stations believed that since it was settled with a settlement, it wouldn’t be a big deal and thought, &#8216;If it’s resolved, then there’s no problem.&#8217; However, for Nakai, with programs being canceled one after another, he must have felt that things weren’t going as planned. At the same time, there might have been an indirect message behind it, telling them not to pursue any penalty fees.&#8221;
The criticism was not only aimed at Nakai but also began to target Fuji TV, specifically A, the programming director, who was reported to have been involved in the issue. However, since Fuji TV continued to deny the involvement of its employees, the controversy only grew, and eventually, shareholders and sponsors became involved.
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="The reason why about 75 commercial sponsors &quot;dropped out.&quot; ......"></div>
<h2>Fuji&#8217;s upper management lacked a sense of crisis over the company&#8217;s survival</h2>
The American investment fund &#8220;Dalton Investments,&#8221; known as a &#8220;vocal shareholder,&#8221; and its affiliated companies, have expressed the view that Fuji Media Holdings has:
&#8220;Exposed serious flaws in corporate governance.&#8221;
They have requested the establishment of a third-party committee with external experts, clarification of the facts, and the presentation of measures to prevent recurrence.
In response, Fuji TV finally held an emergency press conference on January 17. However, this press conference has attracted even more criticism than before.
&#8220;It was presented as a rescheduled version of the regular press conference originally planned for February, and only a limited number of press members from the press club could attend, with no questions allowed from TV stations. NHK and private broadcasters, which are not part of the press club, requested to film the conference, but it was denied, and only the first five minutes were allowed for photo coverage.
Weekly magazines, internet media, and freelance reporters were excluded from participation, and criticism has been raised from various media outlets. Furthermore, when asked questions, there were almost no answers, and the only thing emphasized was the establishment of a committee with third-party lawyers to conduct an investigation. Of course, no details were provided regarding Nakai&#8217;s troubles. It raises the question of whether they realize the company is facing a crisis of survival.&#8221; (National newspaper reporter)
Sponsors have already taken action.
Nippon Life and Toyota Motor quickly replaced their commercials aired on Fuji TV with public service announcements from AC Japan (formerly the Public Advertising Organization). Now, about 75 sponsors have expressed their intention to stop airing their commercials and replace them with AC Japan&#8217;s commercials.
According to an employee of a key network:
&#8220;With the April programming season approaching, sales representatives at each station have to secure CM sponsors, but under these circumstances, it&#8217;s difficult. In fact, it&#8217;s almost impossible. As a result, it will be hard to come up with the necessary production costs, and at worst, we may not be able to produce any programs. However, since we can&#8217;t just stop broadcasting, Fuji will have to spend its own money.&#8221;
The &#8220;collapse&#8221; is no longer just a joke.
This is a typical example of a failure in early extinguishment. However, if the trouble had been properly investigated when it was first reported in June 2023, and those involved, including Nakai, had been disciplined, such a situation might not have occurred. It’s a case of being too late.
The January 16 issue of Shukan Bunshun published further details, including testimony from a former senior Fuji TV executive, who claimed that President Minato, like A, the head of the programming department under suspicion, had used female announcers as entertainment staff. The testimony also describes how Fuji&#8217;s female announcers were forced to participate in drinking parties organized by A.
At one such drinking party, a talent who played a key role in Fuji&#8217;s variety shows was also present, according to the female announcer&#8217;s testimony. This is a significant revelation, and readers with sharp intuition will likely be able to easily guess who this talent is. It seems that the dots and lines have connected.
While it has been said that the entertainment industry will change with the collapse of Johnny&#8217;s Office and the retirement of &#8220;Don,&#8221; the long-called-for purification of the entertainment industry may accelerate due to Nakai&#8217;s troubles.

 Hiroyuki Sasaki (entertainment journalist)

 Shinji Hasuo

 Fuji Television has been hit hard by Masahiro Nakai's "90 million yen" woman trouble, and now some 75 sponsors have decided to "suspend commercials". Rather than being extinguished, the fire of the riot continues to burn. ......

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