There Are “Four Types” of Reactions… Ai Hashimoto, Whose Column Runs in *Shukan Bunshun*, on Her Decision to Publicly Reveal Her “Past Experience with Harassment”

Jiro Sato’s Counterattack

The “harassment scandal” involving actress Ai Hashimoto (30) and Jiro Sato (57) is turning into a quagmire.

As is well known, the incident began during the filming of the April drama series *Detective: Married Couples with Different Surnames* (Fuji TV) when Sato touched Hashimoto’s chin as part of an ad-lib.

Sato, who was informed after the fact that Hashimoto had set restrictions on physical contact due to past experiences of harassment, visited her dressing room twice and said,

arguing, “If physical contact is off-limits, I shouldn’t have accepted the role of her husband,”

“You shouldn’t continue acting,”

Sato later learned that Hashimoto had set restrictions on physical contact due to past experiences of harassment. Sato visited her dressing room twice to convey these messages directly to her. Fuji TV’s compliance attorney deemed this “serious harassment”—as reported by Bunshun Online and *Weekly Bunshun*—but Sato, who found this ruling unacceptable, exposed the details of his exchanges with Hashimoto’s side and Fuji TV’s poor handling of the situation in the July 9 issue of *Weekly Shincho*.The situation is taking on the appearance of a mudslinging match.

Public opinion on this controversy is broadly divided into four camps.

First, given the fact that Sato barged into the dressing room unannounced and made remarks disparaging her career,

“It’s only natural that this would be deemed harassment,”

.

Second, there are opinions that Hashimoto’s reaction was “excessive.”

Third, there are voices questioning Fuji TV’s “lack of supervision.”

Finally, the fourth point raises questions about Hashimoto’s agency. Although the agency had notified Fuji TV of the contact restrictions before filming began, it left it entirely up to Fuji TV to decide whether or not to inform Sato. Following discussions between Sato’s manager and Fuji TV, the decision was made not to inform Sato personally, leading to the criticism that 〈since this is such an important matter, they shouldn’t have left it entirely up to Fuji TV〉.Even sources within Sato’s agency have voiced the opinion that “they should have told him.”

“Various opinions are still flying around on social media. In particular, the defamatory comments on Ms. Hashimoto’s Instagram were so severe that she was forced to close the comments section,” said a sports newspaper reporter covering the entertainment industry.

Amid all this, what’s often overlooked is the “background” behind this report.

The “Generational Gap” Pointed Out by Hashimoto

As mentioned earlier, the initial reports came from Bunshun Online and Shukan Bunshun. Hashimoto writes a book review column for the magazine, but he has been “taking a break” from it both before and after these harassment reports surfaced. A source at an entertainment agency says:

“It’s unthinkable that Bunshun would run a story without informing Hashimoto, who has a regular column there. They must have laid out the ground rules and had the appropriate discussions before publication. And what emerged as a result was Hashimoto’s history of harassment—something she had never made public before.She gave the go-ahead for publication fully prepared for the public to find out. Just how weighty a decision this was for Ms. Hashimoto—I feel that’s the point the public is overlooking.”

It would have been possible to report on the scandal without revealing her past experiences of harassment, so one cannot help but sense Hashimoto’s “resolve” in choosing to go public.

When Hashimoto served as an ambassador for the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival in September 2022, she spoke about the Japanese film industry as follows:

“The biggest issues are harassment and problems with the working environment.Having experienced the industry firsthand, I have many thoughts, but what I feel most strongly is the generational gap. I think it’s wonderful that the older generation is committed to preserving what they’ve built up over time and takes pride in their achievements while engaging in creative work, but on the other hand, their willingness to truly listen to the voices of younger people… I think it’s important for both sides to be a little more open to listening to one another.”

This time, Sato acknowledges that while he showed consideration for Hashimoto’s past, he also said she “should not continue as an actress.” This is precisely the value system of the “older generation,” and it runs counter to the world Hashimoto hopes to realize.

According to Fuji TV’s second statement, Sato had expressed a willingness to apologize, but the Bunshun report came out immediately afterward, overshadowing that gesture. The entertainment agency insider mentioned earlier laments:

“Mr. Sato’s side has still not retracted his remarks or apologized. I don’t think anything good will come of this getting any more heated…”

When will this controversy finally die down?