Experts Warn of Potential Criminal Prosecution Despite Settlement in Third-Party Committee Report of Masahiro Nakai

I thought I couldn’t oppose him after seeing the executives bowing down to Masahiro Nakai.

The image of the national idol crumbled to pieces.

On March 31, Fuji Television released the investigation report from its third-party committee and held a press conference in Tokyo regarding the trouble between former talent Masahiro Nakai (52) and a woman named A.

The circumstances surrounding Nakai inviting A to his home were also revealed in detail.

“Maybe because of the rain, the members are not really decisive. I want to drink, but it would be awkward with just the two of us. What should we do?”

“I’m not confident, but I’ll try to find a hidden spot.”

He had sent messages like these, but during the third-party committee’s hearing, Nakai reportedly said that he never actually called any shops.

“I’ll drink at ** (location)! The one we did last time. That might be safer. What do you think?”

Nakai invited A to his apartment, where they had previously held a BBQ.

In response, A said:

“I thought I couldn’t oppose him because I had always seen Fuji TV’s programming executives (at the time), like B, bowing down to Nakai.”

One of the most notable points in the investigation report was the section titled “Limitations of the Investigation (Confidentiality) and Limitations on What Could Be Included in the Report (Respecting Privacy).”

The committee mentioned that they had asked for cooperation from both Nakai and A’s sides by lifting the confidentiality clauses in their settlement agreements.

The decision to prosecute or not is made by the prosecutor

A’s side agreed to fully lift the confidentiality obligation, but Nakai’s side responded that they would not cooperate with the hearing regarding matters within the scope of the confidentiality obligation and would not lift A’s confidentiality obligation.

“The scope of the confidentiality obligation is from the moment Nakai enters his apartment to when he leaves. In other words, it’s a strong indication that Nakai does not want certain private exchanges, such as embarrassing emails, to be revealed, but is firmly against disclosing the details of the private setting. Although it’s reported that he paid nearly 90 million yen in a settlement, A clearly has not forgiven Nakai.

If A decides to annul the settlement, Nakai could face criminal charges. Losing his illustrious idol career might be bearable, but the one thing he absolutely does not want is to be labeled a criminal. That’s likely why he chose to retire from the entertainment industry as a form of self-imposed social punishment,” said a TV station reporter.

Will Nakai face criminal prosecution in the future? To discuss the possibility, we asked attorney Kenta Mori of the “Mori Shitsu Law Office.”

“The investigation report from the third-party committee, an independent organization from Fuji Television, has a high level of credibility. This time, sexual violence was recognized, and it is not a crime subject to a complaint-based system. The decision to prosecute or not is made by the prosecutor, so settling the case does not necessarily mean Nakai won’t be prosecuted. If he is indicted for a non-consensual sexual act and found guilty, the sentence could be more than five years of imprisonment. However, depending on the terms of the settlement, the sentence might be lighter.”

Nakai, who reportedly used Fuji TV’s programming executives as his subordinates to cleverly lure A and then committed sexual violence, has yet to explain the truth, using retirement as his ultimate escape.

Will this be the end of the matter, or will the investigation authorities take action? Attention is focused on the case.