It Could Affect Their Acting Offers… Jiro Sato and Ai Hashimoto Face Being “Blacklisted by the Industry”

“A Certain List” That Exists Within the Industry

It has been one month since the finale of Fuji TV’s April Tuesday 9 p.m. drama *Detective: Married Couples with Different Surnames*. During that time, the “harassment scandal” surrounding the co-leads, Jiro Sato (57) and Ai Hashimoto (30), has become a major issue covered everywhere from social media to television.

With the aftermath still lingering, a representative from an entertainment agency speaks out about the future of the controversy.

“Naturally, at this point, it’s impossible for the two of them to appear together again. No one has benefited from this scandal. Because of it, the reality that both Sato and Hashimoto are ‘troublesome actors’ within the industry has been laid bare.”

After making this statement, the insider revealed the existence of a certain “list” that actually exists within the industry. (Unless otherwise noted, all quotes in “” below are statements made by the entertainment agency insider.)

“There is a list in the industry—a sort of ‘blacklist’—that compiles ‘troublesome actors’ who make detailed complaints about everything from dressing room specifications and filming schedules to the contents of their boxed lunches.If you cause trouble even once, you’re put on it, and with this incident, both of them will certainly be added. Those whose names are constantly being updated on this list are destined to fade from the entertainment world.”

It is said that scrutiny of Hashimoto, in particular, will only intensify going forward.

“The industry has now come to realize that if they cast Hashimoto in the future, they’ll have to bring in an ‘intimacy coordinator’ not only for love scenes but even for simple contact scenes, such as touching her hair. If that’s the case, only an organization like NHK—which has the production budget to properly staff such coordinators—will be able to handle her.”

It is whispered that the reason Hashimoto harbors such strong wariness toward physical contact is that she was deeply traumatized by past incidents involving excessive contact that went beyond what was intended by the director. However, this latest incident escalated in the worst possible way due to Sato’s lack of consideration for Hashimoto’s circumstances and Fuji TV’s mishandling of the situation.

“Sato ignored the staff’s attempts to stop him and went directly to Hashimoto’s dressing room to talk. He has a history of publicly disclosing his obsessive-compulsive disorder, and for better or worse, he has a sensitive personality. Contrary to his gentle public image, he has been labeled a ‘difficult person’ within the industry.”

“This issue is taking a back seat within the station.”

The harassment scandal has escalated to the point of posing a real threat to his career, including the risk of Sato being removed from his regular role on the NHK program *History Detective* and the suspension of commercials for the sports lottery *WINNER*.Furthermore, an incident in which Sato himself posted on social media—asking that his scenes be cut from the movie *Bayside Shakedown: N.E.W. Run Through Metropolis!*—and then retracted the post, sparked fierce backlash from fans of the film.

“Fuji TV had been desperately laying the groundwork to feature Yuji Oda—who stars in the latest ‘Bayside Shakedown’ film, on which the network’s future hinges—in terrestrial TV promotions. Then this trouble struck right in the middle of it. Driven by a single-minded desire to avoid causing any trouble for Oda, the issues involving Sato and Hashimoto have now taken a back seat within the station. They’re completely panicking.”

Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that Hashimoto will also take a hiatus until the dust settles.

“She’s the type who doesn’t want to do anything other than acting. If she—the victim—takes a hiatus now, criticism of Sato will only intensify. Hashimoto’s camp is likely maintaining a calculated silence to ensure the fallout doesn’t spread to her. However, from now on, her co-stars will have no choice but to be overly wary of her.”

So, who is ultimately to blame for this disastrous outcome?

“Hashimoto’s camp, which had communicated in advance that they ‘wanted to be consulted regarding physical contact,’ bears no fault. The root of the problem clearly lies in the response of the production company, Fuji TV. First, the producer accepted Sato’s manager’s decision not to inform Sato himself about Hashimoto’s trauma, citing the reason that they ‘didn’t want to restrict his acting.’ This can be considered a major judgment error.

Since the Masahiro Nakai incident, Fuji TV has struggled to secure well-known actresses for their shows, so for this production, they resorted to a risky casting choice that paired two difficult actors.Yet, as soon as trouble arose, the producer did not resolve the issue personally but immediately passed the buck to a third-party lawyer, using compliance as a shield. This heightened distrust on Sato’s side and caused the situation to spiral into a quagmire. Fuji TV’s lack of personnel and crisis management capabilities are the root causes.”

When will Sato and Hashimoto regain their former glory?