Why a Top TV Producer Shut Down the Masahiro Nakai Comeback Buzz

Sexual acts that the other person does not consent to are sexual violence.

On May 12, Masahiro Nakai (52), who had supposedly retired from the entertainment industry, issued a rebuttal through his attorney against the investigation report by Fuji TV’s third-party committee — a move that has sent shockwaves through the industry.

Nakai’s legal representative, after conducting a detailed interview with him, asserted:

“There is no evidence of the violent or coercive sexual acts generally associated with the Japanese term ‘sexual violence.’”

They also requested the third-party committee to disclose evidence in order to protect Nakai’s human rights.

Back on January 9, Nakai had posted a written apology on his agency’s official website. While admitting to a conflict with a woman, he denied any physical violence, stating:

“There was absolutely no such violence as raising a hand, as some reports have claimed.”

It appears Nakai wants to insist that he believed the woman had consented to their encounter — a line of defense commonly used by perpetrators of sexual misconduct.

However, the excuse of “I thought there was consent because she didn’t strongly resist” doesn’t hold up. As a general principle, even if there was no physical violence, any sexual act the other person does not want constitutes sexual violence.

In the first place, when Nakai announced his retirement, he wrote this himself:

“I take full personal responsibility. […] Once again, I offer my heartfelt apologies to the other party.”

Why, then, is Nakai starting to fight back now, after initially admitting fault? A reporter from a sports paper explains:

“There’s talk that Nakai wants to return to the entertainment world. He still has supporters within the industry, and some talents close to him have made statements defending him. It’s also true that some TV station staff have said they’d like to work with him again.

I suspect those people are encouraging him. Plus, his devoted fans haven’t believed the third-party committee’s report and continue to support him.”

This undercurrent of wanting Nakai back within parts of the industry may well have emboldened his decision to issue this rebuttal.

On May 23, Nakai’s side issued a second rebuttal as well

That said, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that a comeback would be extremely difficult in reality. A representative from a key TV network remarked, “A rebuttal at this stage is probably doing more harm than good.”

“No matter how much Nakai argues, unless the woman acknowledges there was consent — which she won’t — nothing will be overturned. Frankly, even though this was settled out of court, it’s the kind of case that could have led to an arrest. For a public figure whose career depends on image, it’s fatal.

And it’s not just the incident with X. It also came to light that Nakai had been inviting female announcers to hotel rooms or his own residence for late-night drinking parties with comedians. Can you really put someone like that back on television?

The programs he hosted no longer carry the kind of advantage where it’s ‘It has to be Nakai.’ Even if powerful forces pushed for his return, it wouldn’t happen. While some fans are backing his rebuttals, the majority probably sees him now as a man who just doesn’t know when to give up.”

Nakai’s side had requested disclosure of evidence by May 26, but on May 22, Fuji TV’s third-party committee responded:

“We will refrain from disclosing the requested materials.”

In response to Nakai’s side claiming the statements made by Nakai during the six-hour, good-faith hearing were not properly reflected, the committee stated:

“We believe Mr. Nakai sincerely cooperated with our hearing over an extended period, and we thoroughly reviewed both the content and demeanor of his testimony as important evidence in our fact-finding process.”

They concluded by asserting:

“We consider our fact-finding judgment to have been appropriate.”

Following this, Nakai’s attorney issued another statement on May 23:

“This response does not address our requests for clarification at all and is entirely unacceptable.”

They again demanded the disclosure of audio recordings from Nakai’s hearing.

When FRIDAY DIGITAL contacted Tokyo Marunouchi Law Office — representing Nakai — asking “Why choose to issue a rebuttal to the third-party committee now?” no reply was received by the deadline.

One can only wonder what lies ahead for Nakai, now that he’s resolved to fight back.