Fuji’s A Addresses Nakai Issue Denies Knowledge of Organization

I don’t even know that the meeting itself exists

“The employee in question is not involved.”

On January 27, Fuji Television held a redo press conference that lasted more than 10 hours. Former chairman Shuji Kano (74) and former president Koichi Minato (72) repeatedly spoke of the innocence of Mr. A, a Fuji programming executive reportedly involved in Masahiro Nakai’s (52) trouble with women.

Fuji TV has maintained its stance since denying Mr. A’s involvement on its website on December 27. Although this assertion remained unwavering at this press conference, some reporters have questioned whether the company’s position was correct or not,

“Can we firmly say that employee A was not involved without hearing from the woman? It’s possible to delete the history later.”

Tough questions were thrown, such as, “Can you really say that employee A was not involved without hearing from the woman? The history can be deleted later.” Additionally, there were scenes where a reporter raised their voice, shouting “Get it together!” at the former president, Koichi Minato, causing confusion, but Fuji TV continued to deny any involvement by A.

Meanwhile, Shukan Bunshun, which continued reporting on the issue, publicly announced a partial correction of the content by January 28. On January 29, they updated their website with a message titled “Regarding the Correction of the Article on the Fuji TV and Nakai Issue [From the Editor],” explaining the reason for the correction.

“In the December 26th issue released last year, it was reported that ‘X-san was invited by Fuji programming executive A to the dinner on the day of the incident.’ However, subsequent interviews revealed that ‘X-san was invited by Nakai’ and ‘She understood it as an extension of a meeting set up by A.’ Therefore, starting from the January 8th issue (second edition), we have reported content based on the results of our further investigation.

In explanation, regarding A’s involvement in the Nakai issue, they referenced the barbecue that was held just prior, which included A, X-san, and Nakai, and stated, “We believe the fact that A was involved in the incident remains unchanged.”

Did A have any involvement or not? As the claims from both Bunshun and Fuji Television continue to diverge, A, the key figure in the matter, has yet to issue a public statement. Did A mediate between Nakai and X-san?

In late January, FRIDAY exclusively approached A, who was caught in the midst of the controversy. A was wearing a dark coat and mask, with messy hair. Initially ignoring the reporter’s call, A eventually stopped after continued questioning and said, “I’m busy, so I’ll keep it brief,” and agreed to the interview.

–Did A have any involvement in Nakai’s trouble?

“I didn’t know Nakai and X-san met alone. I didn’t even know about the event. I wasn’t invited, and I didn’t cancel anything. It’s frustrating that there has been incorrect reporting.”

The February 14th issue of FRIDAY released on January 31st, and the paid version FRIDAY GOLD, detail the various claims made by A about the women’s announcer drinking parties, as well as their communications with Nakai and X-san since the incident.

For more detailed information and multiple photos, see here↓