<figure id="attachment_411086" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4436px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-411086"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f2025ae5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/13b095f590accba8af4b81a37a02eb23.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-411086" class="wp-caption-text">Fuji Television Network President Minato (right, at the time) and Masahiro Nakai, who retired without saying a word, during the 10-hour press conference.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Suspicion of protecting national star Masahiro Nakai</h2>
On January 27, the redo press conference by Fuji Television lasted more than 10 hours. Although there were issues like privacy concerns, overall, the impression was that the executives, including then-President Koichi Minato (72), were evasive until the very end.
However, what was significant was the revelation of how Fuji Television responded after trouble arose between Masahiro Nakai (52) and a woman.
President Minato admitted that he did not inform the Compliance Promotion Office and handled the situation with a limited number of people. Furthermore, Nakai was not questioned until December of the previous year, when Woman Seven and Weekly Bunshun reported it.
His flagship program, Dareka to Nakai, continued as if nothing had happened, and he was also featured in two special programs. In response to this, President Minato explained that the priority was given to the woman&#8217;s physical and mental well-being, but suspicions grew that Fuji Television prioritized protecting Nakai, the national star, rather than the victimized woman.
&#8220;Because the woman&#8217;s physical and mental well-being was the top priority.&#8221;
He explained that it was because the woman&#8217;s physical and mental well-being was the top priority, but doubts grew stronger that Fuji Television prioritized protecting the national star, Nakai, instead of the victim.
However, Nakai, one of the involved parties, announced his retirement on January 23.
&#8220;I will be able to continue my entertainment activities without any hindrance in the future.&#8221;
He announced his sudden retirement just two weeks after declaring, &#8220;I will be able to continue my entertainment activities without any hindrance in the future.&#8221;
Regarding his retirement, Nakai commented on the trouble.
&#8220;I will continue to sincerely face various issues and investigations, and respond with sincerity. All responsibility lies with me personally.&#8221;
He commented, but since the trouble was reported in December of last year, he has not spoken for himself and has disappeared from the public stage.
What I felt after attending the Fuji TV press conference was that it has become increasingly necessary for Mr. Nakai to explain the situation himself.
It&#8217;s not just about retirement.
&#8220;A case with the potential for human rights violations.&#8221;
If it was a scandal that President Minato felt could involve human rights violations, then it would be appropriate for Nakai to apologize or clarify before leaving the entertainment industry. Especially since he had been supported by many people since the SMAP days, this would be even more necessary.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Mr. Nakai should speak publicly for his own sake. ......"></div>
Due to the settlement with the woman and the risk of secondary harm, there are many things he cannot talk about. However, how Fuji TV has responded to Mr. Nakai, and his relationship with the Fuji TV executive who introduced the woman, should be explainable.
Moreover, the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, which reported on the day of the incident that the victim woman was invited by the executive, announced on January 29 that it was a correction, stating she was invited by Mr. Nakai. Many people would likely want to hear Mr. Nakai’s explanation regarding this issue.
It’s not just for the reporters or the public that Mr. Nakai should explain things himself.
Even though he has announced his retirement, Mr. Nakai still has his life ahead of him. To start anew as a private citizen, it is crucial for him to apologize and explain now.
<h2>Even if he were to return to work at this point, he would still have to make an apology and explain his situation</h2>
First, and most importantly, for the sake of the victim women and others involved, he should speak out and demand that the slander and slander be stopped. That would be Nakai&#8217;s responsibility for causing the uproar.
Second, it is necessary for him to apologize and explain properly here in case he tries to do some form of public activities after a certain period of time.
Many may say that it is inappropriate to talk about a return to work when there are victims. However, if a long time has passed and the time to return comes, if he leaves without saying anything, he will be asked to apologize again when he returns. If he speaks publicly and then steps down, that should lessen the problem.
The best way to do this would be to hold a press conference in the open, but in light of Fuji Television&#8217;s press conference and the secondary damage done to women, if it is to be done by an individual celebrity, it may be unavoidable to limit the media to a certain extent, such as by limiting it to old media only.
If the hurdle is still too high, they could appear live on &#8220;News Station&#8221; (TV Asahi), &#8220;News 23&#8221; (TBS), or other non-Fuji TV news programs and be subjected to a rigorous question-and-answer session. Alternatively, he could be interviewed in print media, but it would be necessary for the exchange to be seen as a &#8220;tough question&#8221; by anyone who sees the interview, without being judged.
Whatever form it takes, there is no doubt that Mr. Nakai will be asked tough questions when he appears in public. However, I can&#8217;t help but think that it is important for this turmoil, and by extension, for Nakai himself, to apologize and explain without running away from the situation.

 Norifumi Arakida (FRIDAY Digital Entertainment Desk)

 Kazuhiko Nakamura

 Fuji Television's press conference, which lasted until after 2 a.m., has yet to restore trust in the company, leaving many people feeling "bewildered. However, Masahiro Nakai, who was involved in the incident, has left the entertainment world "without saying a word. ......

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