Masahiro Nakai Retires as TV Stations Tighten Transparency Amid Fuji TV Scandal

Watching the turmoil at Fuji TV, other networks are reportedly rushing to improve their internal response, seemingly taking the approach of correcting our own actions by observing others. According to another television industry insider, the upper management is quite on edge.

“They have re-announced the reporting windows for scandals, sexual harassment, power harassment, etc., to all employees and temporary staff. To avoid being accused of handling things internally like Fuji TV, we are now providing direct email and phone contact details for external lawyers. Until now, most issues were dealt with internally to reach a resolution.”

The most common type of trouble, particularly, is said to be sexual in nature.

Directly reported to external lawyers

“For example, a male announcer at the network reportedly tricked job-seeking women into thinking he would give them advice on how to get hired, then took them out drinking and forcibly engaged in sexual acts. This was discovered through a complaint from a victim, but the issue was quietly swept under the rug and never made public. The announcer was simply transferred to another department without any disciplinary action.

However, due to the current scandal involving Nakai, it has become impossible to handle things internally as before. Once reports are directly made to external lawyers, it’s much harder to cover things up. The staff members are on edge, wondering what kind of cases might emerge next.”

Additionally, in one network, a ban was reportedly imposed on unnecessary meals with female announcers, and they were also prohibited from attending business dinners with clients. The situation at Fuji TV is said to be so shocking that it has sent tremors throughout the industry.

“If sponsors collectively withdraw like they did with Fuji TV, there’s a real risk of self-destruction, even without a license suspension from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The next concern is advertising fees, which are expected to plummet after April. Fuji TV will soon face the fear of being unable to afford production costs or pay high employee salaries.”

Following the disastrous press conference by President Minato, which only featured still images and caused a major backlash, a wave of sponsor withdrawals began. If the network makes another misstep, it could face a true, fatal blow.