The Truth Jiro Sato Was Determined to Tell—and the Regret That Remained After His Mother’s Death
He had built up a considerable amount of frustration
Actor Jiro Sato (57), whose recent dispute with actress Ai Hashimoto (30) is still fresh in people’s minds, posted an update on X on August 13, revealing that his mother had passed away.
Sato reported that his 88-year-old mother had passed away on July 11, and then explained:
“In the midst of everything that has happened recently, I decided of my own accord to refrain from announcing my mother’s death.”
The everything that has happened recently refers to the harassment controversy surrounding the Fuji TV drama “Married Couple Separate Surnames Detective,” which was reported by Bunshun Online on July 1.
During the filming of the drama, Sato touched Hashimoto’s chin during an improvised moment, which escalated into a major controversy. Sato, who had not been informed that Hashimoto had restrictions regarding physical contact, reportedly went to Hashimoto’s dressing room and made comments that questioned her career as an actress.
An external lawyer hired by Fuji TV subsequently determined that the incident constituted harassment. Unconvinced by the decision, Sato has expressed his dissatisfaction with Hashimoto’s side and Fuji TV’s handling of the matter in Weekly Shincho and on his own X account.
The phrase Sato has repeatedly emphasized is the truth. On August 9, he expressed his delight on X after an online news article featured his films in a piece titled:
“Four Masterpieces Featuring Actor Jiro Sato’s Brilliant ‘Over-the-Top Performances’ to Watch While He Takes Time to Recover.”
He then wrote:
“Because I’m taking time to recover, I haven’t been able to say a single thing about ‘the truth’ in my own words, and I feel the frustration of being unable to put it into words every day. But on a summer night, please enjoy these four gems.”
In another X post announcing his mother’s death, he also commented:
“It is true that since then, I have accumulated a considerable amount of frustration because I have become unable to tweet about various everyday things happening around me. I deeply regret that my expression of the frustration of being unable to say what I wanted to say ended up taking on a life of its own in the public sphere.”
The phrase “The frustration of being unable to say what I wanted to say,” suggests that there is something else he considers to be the truth that he has not been able to disclose.
In response to an inquiry from this website, a representative of an entertainment agency familiar with the circumstances said:
“Something that started with he touched her chin turned into such a huge issue. Sato’s own words and actions were certainly problematic, but what hasn’t really come to light is how Hashimoto’s side approached Fuji TV after the incident. I think he has things he wants to say based on those circumstances.”
Spin-off project scrapped
the major commercial broadcasters speaks in a hushed voice.
“Mr. Sato has had a long career in the entertainment industry and has a wide circle of acquaintances. There was an optimistic view that someone might reach out to help him, but reality isn’t that forgiving. The damage from the controversy is, after all, significant. July is also a period when TV networks are restructuring their programming, so information about dramas and casting for upcoming productions tends to emerge. I made the rounds at various networks, but I didn’t hear Mr. Sato’s name coming up as it regularly had before.”
If television is no longer an option, one might look to the foreign-owned streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but these platforms also have strict compliance requirements. According to a television industry source:
“For a while, there was a rumor that because Netflix is a paid subscription service, it was more lenient than television, but that is absolutely not the case. If anything, awareness of human rights issues has been increasing year by year. Mr. Sato is known as one of the entertainment industry’s premier supporting actors, but now that an issue involving a relationship with a member of the opposite sex—in other words, an issue that calls his awareness of human rights into question—has emerged, it will inevitably work against him.”
Sato appears in the film “Dancing Investigation Line: N.E.W. Metropolis — Run Through the City!,” scheduled for release in September. He had been set to film a spin-off project in July, but the project was scrapped as a result of the controversy. Director Katsuyuki Motohiro and others involved in the production worked hard to resolve the situation, but ultimately the decision could not be reversed, and the project was canceled.
“Mr. Sato also declared on X that he was breaking ties with Fuji, but Fuji, too, has effectively treated him as ‘persona non grata.’ It seems that the trouble involving Masahiro Nakai has left quite a trauma for Fuji after all.” (Same television industry source)
Sato is now in despair following the death of his mother. Can he make a comeback from here?