Talent Exodus and Sponsor Loss: Fuji TV’s Industry Reputation in Crisis

The values haven’t been updated

The situation at Fuji Television is shaken due to the alleged bribery involving executives linked to former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai’s (52) women troubles. The issue was exacerbated by the restrictions placed on media at the press conference on January 17, which banned video recording and limited the attending press, making the situation even more controversial.

“The poor handling of the press conference accelerated the loss of sponsors. About 80% of sponsors have stopped airing their commercials,” said a television magazine editor.

A staff member from a production company sighed, saying, “It’s just that the bad parts of Fuji are finally coming to light.”

“With the implementation of laws like the ‘Work Style Reform Law,’ the TV industry has become much cleaner, with fewer instances of power harassment, sexual harassment, and late-night working. However, Fuji Television still had many employees with an arrogant attitude towards subcontractors. People who were in a strong position, able to choose their work, had distanced themselves from Fuji even before the incident,” said a production company director.

The issue was also raised over Fuji Television’s failure to address Nakai’s trouble after it happened, only to cover it up until Women’s Seven reported on it in December. Some employees apparently did not feel a sense of crisis even after it was exposed.

“In mid-January, I encountered a man claiming to be a staff member from Fuji’s variety show at a restaurant in Tokyo, who was drinking with a woman. He discussed Fuji’s internal matters in front of other customers and even did shots with the woman. I questioned his sense of propriety,” said a freelance writer.

It seems that some employees, unable to forget the days when Fuji was at the top of the ratings in the mid-Heisei period, still retain a classic industry person mentality, even in the Reiwa era.

“The producers and employees with authority couldn’t update their values in line with modern times, and meetings and filming would go on until the last train. When they couldn’t cover taxi fares to save costs, I was told in a power-harassing tone, ‘Who are you speaking to?’ Even producers from affiliate production companies were looking down on subcontractors, acting like ‘we’re doing them a favor.’ The reputation was the worst,” said the production company director.

Even staff involved in drama productions have had locations rejected, and not just sponsors but also the public are becoming more and more resistant.

“With reports that female announcers were used for entertainment purposes, it’s becoming difficult for programs centered on announcers, like Fuji An Channel, to survive. All Night Fuji’s Reiwa version, All Night Fujiko, which was a representative work of former president Koichi Minato (72) when he was a director, will most likely be canceled in the next programming schedule,” said a key station producer.

The exodus of talented employees and staff from Fuji Television is also accelerating.

“When Fuji called for early retirement in 2022 for employees aged 50 and older, it sparked talk when well-known figures like Asuka Kataoka (60), who was known for directing Mecha-Mecha Iketeru! and former announcers such as Tsurumaru Sakai (60) and Naoko Tashiro (58) applied. With the rise of online streaming media, the flow of capable individuals leaving will only speed up. Even promising young talents like Kazumi Harada (28), a director for Hiroiki Ariyoshi’s Lawless TV, are now likely to leave, making it difficult for Fuji to recover even if the situation settles,” said a television writer.

The Nakai incident may have only accelerated the inevitable decline of Fuji Television, and its demise may have been only a matter of time.

From the February 14, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”