JapanToday Sotokanda S Bldg. The president and chairman of Fuji Television Network Inc stepped down Monday to take responsibility for a scandal involving popular TV host Masahiro Nakai, who is accused of sexual misconduct against a woman during a meal allegedly arranged by an employee of the major Japanese broadcaster. The resignations of the top officials of the Tokyo-based company come amid allegations against Nakai, who rose to fame as a member of the now-defunct pop group SMAP.
The scandal has placed the network under intense scrutiny, prompting more than 70 Japanese companies to suspend advertising on its channels. The company's chairman Shuji Kano also resigned. The broadcaster aired the press conference, which lasted for more than 10 hours until past a. The TV station, launched in , has released many hit programs such as the variety shows "Waratte Iitomo! According to reports by weekly magazines in December, the woman reached a 90 million yen out-of-court settlement with Nakai over nonconsensual sexual activity during a meal in June The Shukan Bunshun weekly also reported that a Fuji TV programming department official was involved in arranging the meet-up.
Minato said that while the company was aware of some "trouble" in June between the woman and Nakai, who regularly appeared on the network's programming, it did not respond immediately, citing the woman's desire to keep the matter discreet and return to work.
The broadcaster said it did not investigate the matter, allowing Nakai to continue appearing on its programs. Fuji TV has also faced criticism for its response to the scandal. Its first press conference on the matter was held only on Jan. The broadcaster was criticized for its initial reluctance to establish a third-party investigation into the allegation.
While it announced the formation of an independent investigation panel on Thursday, calls for top executives to resign intensified within the company. He pledged to "never tolerate acts that violate human rights" and committed to implementing measures to strengthen the company's governance. Fuji TV Vice Chairman Ryunosuke Endo said the latest leadership shuffle is "provisional" and that the responsibility among executives for the incident will be determined after the third-party committee completes its investigation, expected around the end of March.
