<figure id="attachment_409873" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409873"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="963e573d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/324edcee1ccd20d37b84130ec2e057a5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409873" class="wp-caption-text">The president of the company stated that they became aware of the issue in June 2023. The reason they did not conduct an investigation was because it was highly confidential.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>The president of the company’s self-preservation press conference has caused a huge uproar</h2>
&#8220;I was only filled with anger after learning about the contents of the press conference. The responses were constantly avoided, and it felt like the focus was only on protecting the executives and the company’s brand, rather than addressing the issue at hand. I was disappointed to see that the higher-ups don’t seem to consider the situation on the ground.&#8221;
This is what a young staff member from Fuji TV said. The press conference by the company&#8217;s president, Koichi Minato (72), held on January 17, faced criticism even from within the company. The conference, which restricted participating media and repeatedly stated &#8220;I will refrain from answering&#8221; more than 30 times, was seen as a self-preservation press conference and sparked a massive backlash. Journalist Akihiro Otani also gave a harsh assessment.
&#8220;It was foolish, I must say. First of all, it didn’t even resemble a proper press conference. Why, in a television station’s press conference, didn’t they allow TV cameras to broadcast it? I think someone in the higher-ups, trying to read the room, made some poor decisions. In the end, I feel like President Minato was only concerned with not angering the &#8216;Don&#8217;—his advisor, Hisashi Hieda (87). There was no clear evidence provided regarding the involvement of the staff. There were many unknowns, and it was truly an embarrassing press conference.&#8221;
The press conference, which added fuel to the fire, had repercussions that also affected the sponsor companies. The day after the conference, major sponsors such as Toyota Motor Corporation and Nippon Life Insurance announced an unprecedented suspension of commercials on the station itself. This was followed by a snowball effect, with more than 75 companies (as of January 21) announcing their suspension of commercials. Otani pointed out that &#8220;This is a sign of despair towards Fuji TV&#8221; and noted the significant impact of the press conference.
During the conference, President Minato announced the formation of an investigative committee led by third-party lawyers. However, he was criticized for not adhering to the guidelines of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. In response, on January 23, he announced the establishment of a third-party committee based on the guidelines set by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. The report is expected to be submitted by the end of March. On January 27, he also announced the plan to hold an open-format press conference. 
&#8220;If they investigate thoroughly, who knows what kind of bad things will come to light. There were executives known as the king of Fuji’s drinking parties, and at year-end gatherings, there were drinking parties with major entertainment agencies involving female announcers.&#8221;
A staff member from another key station expressed concerns about this decision.
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Nakai has disappeared from the entertainment industry."></div>
<h2>The growing reality of the looming crisis of collapse</h2>
Masahiro Nakai (52), at the center of the controversy, announced his retirement from the entertainment industry on January 23. Regarding his recent situation, another key network staff member shares:
&#8220;This year, when Nakai came in for a meeting, he was wearing a hat indoors to hide his noticeably gray hair. He kept muttering &#8216;This is bad, this is bad.&#8217; and when he was informed of his departure, he just responded with &#8216;Yes, yes.&#8217; The executives were surprised by how suddenly his tone shifted from casual to polite, something that hadn’t been the case before the scandal.
It seems that he’s been getting multiple calls from unknown numbers and now keeps his phone turned off. The former bravado is gone, and at the end of a meeting, I heard he said, &#8216;What’s going to happen to me?'&#8221;
Amidst this, Fuji TV finds itself in a similar predicament, seemingly heading toward a worst-case future.
&#8220;Although the suspension of commercials continues, at this point Fuji has not incurred any losses. The contract fees have already been paid, and there’s no penalty or refund obligation for companies that decide to stop advertising. However, if contracts aren’t renewed, that changes things. For a commercial broadcaster, ads are the lifeblood, so this remains a serious crisis that could shake the very foundation of the company. The situation is likely to lead to significant operational challenges,&#8221; says Takahiko Kageyama, Professor at Doshisha Women’s University, Media Creation Department.
Another veteran staff member from a different key station adds:
&#8220;Many of the companies that announced the suspension of ads are unlikely to renew contracts with Fuji in its current stance. Even Toyota alone must be receiving over 1 billion yen in contract fees. If several companies of that scale pull out, the management will inevitably struggle.
If sponsorship revenue decreases, the company’s value will drop, and shareholders might start dumping their stocks. That could make fundraising difficult, potentially leading Fuji to seek help from large corporations like SoftBank or Sony. This is how serious the situation is.&#8221;
The collapse of Fuji TV—unless a thorough investigation and reform of its corporate culture are carried out—could become a reality.
<figure id="attachment_409872" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409872"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="693958f6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/fbb43684b5e42c43aa0ac014a0af4e84.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409872" class="wp-caption-text">Hisuji Hieda, the advisor with immense influence at Fuji TV, has maintained a stance of not knowing regarding the current troubles.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_409871" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409871"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="de0d8c4f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/7fb52c8485b6843df6379ab2692bda79.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409871" class="wp-caption-text">Nakai announced his retirement from show business. A key station employee said, &#8220;He seems to have lost a lot of weight.&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_409874" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1346px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409874"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d77e7a8e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/52fbcb75f8971589d6b710cbbc0b3376.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409874" class="wp-caption-text">The day after the press conference, more than 75 companies announced that they would not air commercials. The future of contract renewals will be the focus of attention.</figcaption></figure>
<a href="#" data-ident_hash="cec49bcd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/c5ae84f1331c3d3418b53152de2999de.jpg" alt=""></a>
From the February 7, 2025 issue of &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221;

 Jiji Press (1st photo) Sankei Shimbun (2nd photo) Shinji Hasuo (3rd photo) Kazuhiko Nakamura (4th photo)

 The "self-preservation press conference" by President Koichi Minato of Fuji Television Network (Fuji TV) has added fuel to the fire. As a result, more than 75 sponsors have suspended commercials, and Nakai has retired from the entertainment industry. What will Fuji do in the face of the increasingly realistic collapse crisis?

Fuji TV Faces Survival Crisis as Sponsors Abandon Amid Investigation Fears

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