Jiro Sato and Ai Hashimoto Face Reports of Tension—What Photos From the Set Reveal

What their distance reveals

Walking through a park at dusk as a family, chatting about nothing in particular—it was an ordinary everyday scene. Yet at the time, it seemed somewhat strange that the wife was walking two, three, no, nearly five paces behind her husband and daughter. But after learning about the controversy, that distance seemed to represent an unfathomably deep rift.

The opening scene was filmed on May 7 in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, for the Fuji TV drama “Keifu Betsusei Keiji (Detective Couple with Separate Surnames).” It was a family scene used at the end of Episode 7. As father Jiro Sato (57) and daughter Rui Tsukishima (18) grow closer, Sato’s wife, Ai Hashimoto (30), watches over them from a step behind. Yet there was a considerable distance between Sato and Hashimoto as the married couple.

That separation between the two was also apparent when the cameras were not rolling.

“The strangest thing was where they took their breaks. Sato stayed near the filming location with Tsukishima and the others, while Hashimoto was more than 10 meters away, sitting with her back turned toward Sato and the others. It’s unusual for two lead actors to keep this much distance from each other during breaks. Not only did they not speak to each other, they didn’t even exchange greetings. There was an eerie tension on set.” (Production company source)

During breaks in the filming in question, Hashimoto chatted with her manager, while Sato remained visibly downcast no matter how many times Tsukishima spoke to him. He did not smile even once.

A serious harassment allegation involving Sato has been causing controversy. According to the Shukan Bunshun online edition on July 1, during production of the drama, Sato learned that Hashimoto had restrictions regarding physical contact and stormed into her dressing room without an appointment, confronting her with the words, “You shouldn’t be an actor.” Sato then hit back at the report in the July 9 issue of Shukan Shincho.

Fuji executives at a loss over Sato

In Shincho, Sato denied speaking to Hashimoto in a scolding tone, and revealed that a Fuji TV compliance lawyer had condemned him as a harasser and ordered him to strictly observe rules such as “no casual conversation when the two are alone” and “interact naturally in front of larger groups.” He also revealed that he had been struggling with his acting and had developed a sleep disorder.

“It appears that Sato will be taking time off to recuperate. On X, he has suggested that he may appear in a spin-off drama of the ‘Bayside Shakedown’ series scheduled for release in September, and director Katsuyuki Motohiro (61) has also expressed a desire to resume production. However, senior Fuji TV executives involved in the production committee are reportedly at a loss, saying, ‘This isn’t something an individual actor or director can decide.’ They are said to be reconsidering the project, including whether to offer Sato a role.

If Hashimoto is also restricted from physical contact with male actors, the range of roles she can perform will inevitably become narrower. This could affect future offers as well,” said an entertainment agency source.

In addition to “Bayside Shakedown,” Fuji TV has been scrambling to respond to the situation, including changing the planned content of its “Getsuku” Monday-night drama slot next January from a romance story.

“Before the final episode of ‘Fufu Bessei Keiji’ aired, all the promotional posters that had been displayed in elevators and hallways had been removed. Fuji TV had been trying to negotiate with Hashimoto’s side, including financial compensation, in consideration of the burden on her during filming, but the reports came out just as those discussions were getting underway. There seems to be complete chaos within the network,” the same source said.

From the July 31, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”