Fuji TV Orders Female Announcers to Take Taxis as Internal Situation Remains Unchanged

“Do not disclose outside the company.”

On January 23, such instructions were reportedly given during a briefing held for Fuji TV employees.

The issue involving former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai (52) and his retirement from the entertainment industry due to a woman’s trouble has escalated. There are suspicions of involvement from Fuji’s programming executive, Mr. A, with some weekly magazines raising questions. This situation has led to concerns about Fuji’s corporate culture.

Over 75 sponsors have already decided to stop their advertisements, and some have even demanded refunds or early contract terminations. Amidst this unprecedented crisis, the employee briefing was finally held, with over 1,000 participants or real-time viewers, including remote attendees. At the beginning of the session, a gag order was imposed as one of the precautions.

During the briefing, there were voices calling for the resignation of the management team, including Mr. Hieda.

“The dissatisfaction of the station staff has reached its limit. Do they really think this won’t leak to the outside?”

This comment came from a current Fuji TV employee who attended the briefing. During the meeting, Fuji TV’s President Koichi Minato mentioned his “inward-focused” press conference on January 17, saying:

“After it ended, I thought, ‘I made a mistake.'”

At that moment, there was a sigh from the audience, going beyond anger. There were also questions about Mr. A, but the dominant voice was the call for a change in management. The aforementioned employee explained:

“The resignation of President Minato, who poured fuel on the fire with that disastrous press conference, is already expected. The issue now is whether it will reach the resignation of ‘Fuji TV’s Don,’ Hisashi Hieda (Executive Advisor). As long as Hieda holds onto power, Fuji will not change. At the briefing, there were calls for the resignation of the management team, including Hieda, and the room erupted in applause. This has never happened before.”

Hieda is often referred to as “Fuji TV’s Emperor.” After the death of the first president of the Fuji Sankei Group, Nobutaka Shikanai’s son Haruo in 1988, Hieda rose to the position of president and later chairman, remaining at the top of Fuji TV. Even after retiring in 2017 as an executive advisor, it is said that he continued to wield significant influence. He has extensive connections in the political and business world, and mentioning his name within the company has long been considered taboo.

 

“You guys, don’t talk to the press.”

“The management is afraid that the scandal will escalate further and that the Hieda regime will collapse. They claim that they are reviewing the management system, but it’s hard to believe. In the end, won’t they just cut ties with Nakai and Minato and call it quits?”

This is from another Fuji staff member.

Recently, Fuji’s upper management allegedly instructed its announcers to travel by taxi. On the surface, this was due to the media’s growing interest in their announcers, and the company wanted to take a stance of protecting its own. However, there is said to be another motive behind this decision.

In the January 16 issue of Weekly Bunshun, a female Fuji announcer made a shocking revelation under a pseudonym: “I too was ‘offered’ to A-san.”

According to insiders:

“Actually, it was a current female announcer. She confessed without hesitation, ready to face any consequences, which caused a stir about Fuji’s tribute culture. This led to stricter actions from sponsor companies. The mandatory ‘taxi travel’ for announcers is basically saying, ‘Don’t talk to the media.'”

The management, including Minato, will hold another press conference on the 27th. This time, it is expected to be unlimited in time and fully open.

Although it may seem like they’ve had a change of heart, the real reasons are said to be pressure from the American investment fund “Dalton Investments,” which holds over 7% of Fuji Media Holdings’ stock, and the Fuji labor union’s strong demand for a follow-up conference by the 27th.

However, the results of the newly established third-party committee won’t come out for a while. If tough questions arise, they may resort to the usual phrase: 

“The third-party committee’s investigation is ongoing.”

The aforementioned Fuji staff member said, 

“In the end, it will probably just be brushed off and nothing will change.”

He spoke weakly.