Trauma from the Nakai Scandal… Fuji TV’s Actor Casting “May Become Even More Difficult” Due to Jiro Sato’s “Distrust”

Words That Completely Dismiss Her Career

Fuji TV is “once again” drawing attention due to the harassment scandal involving actress Ai Hashimoto (30) and Jiro Sato (57).

Fuji TV had only just come under fire last year for its corporate culture following the sexual misconduct scandal involving former TV personality Masahiro Nakai (53). While Mr. Nakai’s misconduct was certainly a major issue, the corporate culture of “looking the other way” was singled out as the root of the problem, sparking fierce public backlash.

Led by Toyota Motor Corporation, numerous major sponsors temporarily pulled their advertisements, dealing a severe blow to Fuji. A television industry insider reveals:

“Fuji replaced its ‘boss,’ Hisashi Hieda (88), and former President Koichi Minato (74), among others, and made a fresh start by appointing Kenji Shimizu (65) as the new president. Since this report came out just as many sponsor companies were starting to return, it seems the upper management was quite shocked.After all, the Nakai scandal was quite traumatic for them.”

According to *Shukan Bunshun* and other sources, the “incident” occurred during *Detective with Separate Surnames* (Fuji TV), which aired its final episode on June 23.

When Sato touched Hashimoto’s chin during an ad-lib, it escalated into a major incident. Hashimoto was an actress with restrictions on physical contact during performances. Unaware of this, Sato stormed into her dressing room twice and told Hashimoto,

“You shouldn’t continue acting,”

—words that completely dismissed her career. An outside attorney for Fuji TV ruled this to be “harassment.” Sato himself was given a stern warning, and the facts were made public in a statement on July 2.

Unconvinced by this outcome, Sato has taken to his X account and the September 9 issue of *Shukan Shincho* to voice his dissatisfaction with Hashimoto’s side’s excessive demands, the fact that he was forced to change the script, and his grievances toward Fuji TV’s lawyer. A Fuji TV insider familiar with the behind-the-scenes situation told this website,

“Rumors had been circulating for some time that trouble was brewing on the set of *Detective with Separate Surnames*. This was common knowledge even within Fuji, and some people were worried, saying, ‘We absolutely must avoid a repeat of the Nakai incident.’”

the source said.

Changes to the Monday 9 p.m. drama lineup

This time, however, Fuji TV—having received reports of the issue—has taken a different approach than it did with the Nakai incident, dispatching an outside attorney and conducting hearings with both parties. Their immediate determination that Sato had violated compliance regulations was not entirely wrong from a corporate defense standpoint.

However, on X, Sato

“taking a stance that favors only one side,”

and retorted,

“I truly don’t want to have anything to do with Fuji anymore” (later deleted)

He made no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction with Fuji.

“Given his personality, Sato is very popular with the crew on set.When he won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actor for the film *Bomb*, Yuki Yamada (35), sitting next to him, even shed tears of joy as if it were his own achievement—a sign of the deep trust he has from his co-stars. Even this ‘Jiro Sato Fan Club’ has come to harbor distrust toward Fuji’s handling of the situation,” said a source in the entertainment industry.

Since the Nakai incident, the environment surrounding Fuji TV has completely changed. Even though sponsors have returned, an increasing number of actors and celebrities are hesitant to accept offers to appear on the network due to the fallout from the scandal. The most recent example is the “Monday 9” drama *Black Trick: The Lawyer Who Manipulates Justice*, starring GACKT (age undisclosed), which premieres on July 20.According to the entertainment industry source mentioned earlier,

“The first person offered the role was Tomohisa Yamashita (41). After that, although it wasn’t made public, I’ve heard the offer went to Daisuke Sakuma (34) of ‘Snow Man.’ Sakuma’s side gave it careful consideration but ultimately decided not to appear,”

A sports newspaper entertainment reporter added:

“It looks like they’ll manage to avoid a repeat of the Nakai scandal, but his image hasn’t fully recovered yet. If more people turn down the offer, casting will become difficult. If filming begins without mutual understanding among the actors, there’s a risk of trouble like what happened with Hashimoto and Sato. That’s exactly what the talent agencies are worried about.”

In fact, the impact is already being felt on set. On July 10, *Sponichi Annex* reported that Fuji TV’s upper management had decided to change the concept of the “Monday 9” drama scheduled for next January from a romance drama, and that this decision has sparked dissatisfaction among the production staff.

On the other hand, there are also voices of sympathy for Fuji’s drama division. The entertainment agency insider mentioned earlier said,

“To be honest, Fuji’s variety division is a bit of a mixed bag, but the drama division’s reputation isn’t bad at all. The staff are hardworking, and they prioritize the actors. It’s a shame that this whole incident has led to a reputation that the entire Fuji drama division is at fault. However, if the chaos—such as constant changes to production plans—continues, the number of actors choosing not to appear will likely increase,”

he said.

Fuji finds itself in a difficult position once again. There are reports that the network will hold a briefing for employees in the near future. A bright future remains out of sight—