Japan's Fuji TV airs probe into own response over Nakai's alleged sex assault of announcer
Tokyo-based Fuji Television Network Inc. (Fuji TV) aired the program examining its internal handling of an alleged sexual assault case involving Nakai, which a third-party committee has acknowledged as sexual violence against a former female announcer of the network.
At the start of the program, Fuji TV President Kenji Shimizu offered a renewed apology, stating, "We deeply apologize for causing concern and trouble regarding human rights and compliance issues."
The alleged incident occurred in June 2023. Former Fuji TV President Koichi Minato and former executive managing director Toru Ota, who initially addressed the issue, appeared on the program to testify regarding the mishandling of their internal response.
The program detailed the third-party committee's investigative report, released at the end of March, which found that the woman had experienced "sexual violence in the course of work-related activities." Minato stated, "I want to apologize (to her). I caused her pain by failing to fully empathize with her feelings."
According to the program, when Minato and others first received reports of the assault in August 2023, they classified it as a "private matter between a man and a woman" based on reasons including the woman having gone to Nakai's apartment, and afterward did not conduct fact-finding inquiries with Nakai himself.
Additionally, the third-party committee criticized Fuji TV, stating that "harassment is pervasive throughout the entire company," and that numerous gatherings had taken place focusing on gender, age and appearance to forge good working relationships with program participants and performers.
The program featured confirmation of these practices with Minato, Ota and others who held such meetings. A female announcer who participated in gatherings organized by Ota testified, "He would always say things like, 'Female announcers are like high-end nightclub hostesses. A good announcer is one who can sell well as a hostess.'" Ota responded during the program, "I personally don't remember saying that, but I don't deny it at all since she remembers those remarks."
Another woman who attended Minato's gatherings described them as "abnormal meetings, gathering only young, attractive women who could entertain clients."
Regarding the corporate culture behind the scandal, the program also covered the responsibilities of Hisashi Hieda, who served as director for more than 40 years. The third-party committee had pointed out the harm of Hieda's significant influence over executive appointments. Despite three requests, Hieda declined interviews for the program. The investigation instead relied on testimonies from former executives and highlighted that Hieda's continued control over personnel decisions weakened Fuji TV's corporate governance.
Ryunosuke Endo, former vice chairperson and a confidant of Hieda, revealed a meeting that took place the day before lasting more than 10 hours of press conference held on Jan. 27, where he appealed to Hieda for about 40 minutes to resign. Endo recalled saying, "If you don't step down, the situation will never settle." Endo also pointed out the harmful influence of Hieda's longstanding authority, expressing concerns that "executives and department heads trying to win Mr. Hieda's favor negatively impact younger employees' motivation significantly." Nonetheless, Hieda reportedly refused, replying, "I won't quit. Are you quitting without a fight?"
Former Fuji TV President Ko Toyoda, who served from 2007 to 2013, provided written testimony stating, "It is true that Mr. Hieda controlled both executive appointments and their compensation, demonstrating a failure in governance."
The program further examined the former programming department chief who introduced Nakai to the female announcer involved. An employee who had worked with this former chief testified that he and Nakai were mahjong companions. He said their relationship was such that if Nakai called with an invitation, the former chief would "drop everything, even private commitments, to hurry to him." Another employee explained that the former programming chief's promotion was largely due to his success in producing hit shows in collaboration with influential talents like Nakai.
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