280 Yen per Hour and Mall Warmth: Fuji TV Staff’s Cry for Help

Even though I worked hard for 280 yen an hour

“Due to this scandal, I suddenly lost all my work and became free. It’s a life-or-death issue, so I watched the entire press conference live. Despite the fact that such a lineup of people attended the conference for over 10 hours, they continued to hide behind privacy and the content was lacking. Throughout, I had the impression that they were being one-sidedly scolded.”

At the redo press conference held by Fuji TV on January 27, executives Koichi Minato (72), Shūji Kanō (74), and Ryūnosuke Endō (69) were present. Staff member A (55), who worked for a production company that handled Fuji’s variety shows and dramas, watched the event with complicated feelings.

“The thing that bothered me the most was the statement made at the employee briefing on January 23, before the redo conference. Kanō said, ‘We have savings, so we’re okay for a while.’ I fully understood that it was directed at the employees, but it made us feel like we were being left out. Every time I hear Minato’s response like ‘Maybe it’s this.” which lacked a sense of urgency, it felt like being strangled with a soft rope.”

According to A, at the year-end party held last year, “Fuji employees were saying, ‘The bonus amount has gone up. This year, we can expect a base increase.’ This was after ‘Women’s Seven’ reported on Masahiro Nakai’s (52) female troubles, but at that time, the sponsor’s CM stoppage had not yet begun.”

“We’ve been working desperately to recover the sales that drastically dropped during the pandemic. The production budget and staff were cut during the pandemic and have remained reduced. Our income has dropped, and the workload per person has increased. We’ve been working almost without rest. When converted to an hourly wage, it was 280 yen. Even though the wage is as low as 280 yen, it felt like the station knew we had no choice but to work. It’s frustrating.”

Even as a subcontractor, A was once envied by those around him for working on Fuji TV’s jobs.

“Now, it’s completely uncomfortable. It’s hard to be pitied. After the dark business scandal involving Yoshimoto comedians, there have been continuous scandals with celebrities. I had somewhat developed immunity, but this ‘Nakai shock’ is on a whole different scale in terms of shock and damage.”